


Exposed

by PsychoGenius



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Action, Adventure, Iplier Egos - Freeform, Jacksepticeye egos, Markiplier egos - Freeform, Septic egos - Freeform, Suspense, other generic tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2020-07-28 03:29:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 28,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20057290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PsychoGenius/pseuds/PsychoGenius
Summary: Mark glared at King's fear-ridden, peanut butter-covered face. "What?!""W-Well," King stammered. "We might have just exposed ourselves and our abilities to the world, and the government might be looking for us, and over half of us might be missing..do you have any more peanut butter?"





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> In which Anti wants to get outside for once.

Being an ego, also known as a physical manifestation of a creator's zany character, was not exactly easy. Sure, many of them had cool powers and abilities, but they couldn't really live their own lives. Especially not when they all shared the same face.

Markiplier and Jacksepticeye, two insanely sweet and creative YouTubers, somehow manifested their individual egos into real physical beings. They didn't really know how they did it, but eventually the issue of keeping them a secret became more important. Neither men knew what the repercussions would be for accidentally creating numerous copies of yourself that all had sentience, nor did they want to.

They of course had to enlist the help of their close friends, which was difficult. Could anyone blame them though for not believing it until they actually saw them? If someone was told that a glitching demon and a pink-stached psycho just appeared out of nowhere, they'd be skeptical.

Keeping them secret wasn't as hard a job as everyone thought it would be. None of the egos wanted to be discovered and taken away, so they all cooperated as best as they could. Jack's egos moved into their own large house distanced from the public, as did Mark's. Both groups also made promises to only leave the house in pairs or small groups to try and pass off as oddly-similar-looking relatives. Some egos were of course not trusted at all and were usually accompanied by the most responsible of the egos. All in all, they had a system and it worked.

It worked, as long as certain individuals were kept in check.

Antisepticeye narrowed his eyes at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He had stolen one of his creator's hoodies to try and hide as much of the green tint in his skin as possible. The cut in his throat however, was still visible. Dark blood oozed slowly down his jugular, stopping right above the collar of his hood. Groaning, he scratched at the cut, wondering how he could cover it.

_Maybe the doc can do something about it. _Anti nodded to himself, heading out of the bathroom and towards Dr. Schneeplestein's "lab", which was technically also his bedroom. He swung the door open and shrieked "Sup Doc!"

Dr. Schneeplestein cursed to himself as he dropped his coffee mug on the ground and caused it to shatter. "Zis mozzafucka.."

Anti strolled in and cheerfully hopped up on the empty examination table, grinning. "So doc, I was hoping you could do something about this hole in my neck-"

"I have told you many times before zat ze hole in your neck iz ze part of you. I cannot fix it, it iz permanent."

Anti groaned. "Can't you like fucking, I don't know, stitch it up just for a night?"

"No I- vait a minute." Dr. Schneeplestein narrowed his eyes at Anti again. "You're trying to sneak out again!"

Anti rolled his eyes. "Wow, the smartest septic ego ladies and gentlemen."

Dr. Schneeplestein shook his head. "I refuse to help you in your quest to give our creator a panic attack. You know what happened ze last time you left."

"Yeah, he went nuts calling up Mark's egos. I know. Still isn't going to stop me."

Shrugging, Dr. Schneeplestein went back to picking up the pieces of the broken mug from the floor. "Vell, I have nothing to vorry about. You von't make it very far."

Anti glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" He was ignored as Dr. Schneeplestein continued cleaning.

"Yeah, well, you're not a real doctor!" Anti ducked as the doctor threw some broken pieces of the mug at his face. He then quickly ran down the hall away from the doctor, crashing into another ego. They both fell to the ground.

"This house is a fucking nightmare!" Anti pushed himself back up, wanting to be out of the house even more than ever. He looked down to see who he had ran into, finding Jameson dazed and sprawled on his back. Jameson looked up at the older ego in surprise.

Anti glared at him. "Watch where you're fucking going." Jameson smiled up at him as he pushed himself up. Once he was up he pointed at the hoodie Anti was wearing, raising an eyebrow.

"I needed something to cover up my green-ass skin, smart one. I'm heading out." Jameson furrowed his eyebrows and wagged a finger at him.

Anti rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine, unlike you I can manage being in the outside world without freaking out over the people walking around with cellphones." He pushed past Jameson and headed over to the only other person he thought could hide the gash.

"Marvin! Open the doooooor!" Anti kicked the Magician's door, knowing he couldn't break whatever spell he had put on it. The door slowly opened, revealing Marvin's masked face. He groaned. "What do you want?"

Anti pointed at his neck. "I need this closed up temporarily. And if the blood was gone that'd be nice too."

Marvin shook his head. "Nope, not falling for it. You're going to do something shitty like impersonate Jack and try to scare his friends again."

Anti chuckled. "Yeah, watching Robin nearly cry over thinking Jack was actually hurt was fun..."

The door was starting to close already, so Anti shrugged, knowing exactly what to say.

"Maybe I'll go to the doc, everybody knows his science wins over your stage magic anyway-" He was cut off by the door slamming wide open, and Marvin's hands grabbing him by the shoulders and pinning him against it. Anti stared into the glowing green eyes under the cat mask, noticing the snark on Marvin's face.

"What the FUCK did you just say?!"

Anti smiled. "You're not intimidating, besides, you probably couldn't fix this little thing," he pointed to the gash in his throat, "not even temporarily."

Marvin glared at Anti with green eyes, mumbling a spell under his breath. The cut in Anti's throat healed, and the blood faded from view. Marvin pulled away, smiling smugly. "There, bet Schneep's science can't do shit like that. Now get out." Anti beamed and walked out of the room, the door slamming behind himself.

_Dumbass. _Anti started to walk towards the front door, happy that none of the others were actually out of their rooms. It was later at night. Chase was editing videos for Bro Average, Marvin was working on his show, Dr. Schneeplestein was scheduling his appointments for his next patients, and Jackieboy Man was out saving people with Silver Shepard, or watching movies with the Silver Shepard, he couldn't remember. And frankly, he didn't care. He opened the front door, finding himself face to face with Jameson.

"Wha- how did-?" Anti narrowed his eyes. He didn't need to question why Jameson was waiting outside for him, he just knew that he was in the way. "Move." He easily shoved Jameson to the side and walked out of the house, shutting the door behind himself. Jameson jumped up and brushed himself off before running after him.

Anti sighed. He wasn't going to be able to actually do anything fun with Jameson tagging along. He stopped walking, allowing Jameson to run into his back and fall down again. Anti turned around and glared down at him.

"Look, I'm going to go out and have a nice night. I'll be back home by morning. If you want to keep an arm not broken I suggest you do what you do best and stay fucking quiet."

Jameson looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.

"Wait what?! You're going to cry over that?! It's not like I actually hurt you! Stop it!" Anti's shouting only seemed to make Jameson even sadder as he started to cry.

"Oh fuck, wait, shit." Anti awkwardly scratched his head. He didn't deal with people crying. That was always up to Chase or Jack himself if Chase was too teared up.

"U-um, look how about you can come with me? I'm still not Jamie-proofing anything, but if you really care that much, you can come."

Jameson wiped his eyes, smiling and nodding. Anti rolled his eyes. "You're lucky you're the literal baby of the house, if you were Chase I would've punched you in the face the second you shed a tear."

Jameson opened his mouth and placed his hands on the sides of his face in an exaggerated gasp. Anti rolled his eyes.

This was going to be a long night.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Wilford also wants to get outside.

Darkiplier was a busy man.

A busy man who didn't have time to walk the basic children running around his house.

Even though their house was big, Mark had given life to an exceptionally large amount of egos that seemed to always be in each other's way. Thus it was necessary for them to leave every now and then. The Silver Shepard and Ed Edgar had the pleasure of being able to leave more so than the others due to their being lesser known egos. The others usually had to be more careful though.

Unfortunately Mark had created numerous entities that were easy to spot in a crowd, making it extremely difficult for them to enjoy time outside of the house. Dark, Wilford and Yandere found the most trouble with this, due either to their auras or the blood usually coating them.

As with the Septics, some egos needed to be monitored. Yandere and Wilford had a tendency to kill, and King and the Jims had a tendency to wander. Thankfully a few of the egos were actually responsible enough to keep them in check. Most of the time they would bug Google or Dr. Iplier because of how much more approachable they were. However, one would always go to Dark first.

"Darkie!" Wilford opened the door to Dark's office, grinning wildly. Dark was bent over a stack of papers on the desk, looking annoyed. "Good evening Wilford."

"Wow, you're in a wonderful mood as always. Anyway I was wondering if you would like to accompany the Wilford Warfstache in an evening out on the town?" He wiggled his mustache playfully.

Dark sighed, massaging his temples. "Wilford, it's barely past two, first of all. Second, I can practically smell all the candy you just consumed. I am not going to take you out so you can go on a sugar-induced rampage."

Wilford's smile dropped. "But Daaaaaaaark!"

"You sound like a child."

Rolling his eyes, Wilford sighed. "Alright if you won't come with me why don't I take Googs?"

Dark contemplated this. "Well, Google is probably one of the few people here who could probably handle you and receive minimal damage.. but no."

Wilford groaned. "But Daaaaaaaaaaa-"

"Get out of my office."

Defeated, Wilford stormed out of the office, making sure to slam the door with plenty of force. He then walked down the hall. King was sitting on a windowsill, chatting to a few squirrels he had snuck into the house. When he saw Wilford walking by he waved. "Hey Wilford!"

Wilford's frown turned into a smile as he walked over. "Hello King, you wouldn't happen to know where Ol' Googs is, would ya?"

King tapped his peanut butter beard in thought. "Um, I think he was in the living room. Oh! Do you want to see something I taught the squirrels?"

Wilford beamed. "Do I!?" He then looked deep in thought. "Do I...?"

King stared at him in confusion for a few moments before Wilford suddenly clapped his hands and leaned forward to look at the squirrels.

"Alright," King said, pointing at the squirrels. "Now!"

A squirrel scurried up the back of another one, and then a third squirrel ran up and stood on top of that one, making a three-squirrel totem. Wilford smacked his thigh, startling both King and the squirrels.

"Well shit! That's not something you see outside of hallucinogenic drugs! Good job King!"

King blushed, smiling at his subjects. "They make it easy to teach them."

"Well, that was fancy and all, but I do need to find me a Google. Going out on the town!" King glanced up at him worriedly. "Are you sure that's a good idea? You seem awfully hyper.."

Wilford waved his hand dismissively. "I already heard this spiel from Dark. Wilford ain't taking shit from nobody! I'm going to go out and that's final! Darkie don't have to know!"

"Darkie-I mean Dark-doesn't know?" King looked even more concerned.

Wilford sighed, draping his arm over King's shoulders. "King, listen, Ol' Warfie has got this handled. Dark is just going to be a buzzkill because I'm not "responsible enough" to be out on my own. But! I'm going to have Google, so even if something were to go wrong, which is highly unlikely, I've got the smartest android on the planet to help!"

King looked at him for a moment in thought. "As long as Google is going with you.."

"Yes!" Wilford pulled King's crown off of his head and ruffled his hair before slamming it back on. "Phew! I thought I was going to have to threaten you for a moment there." King paled.

"Well I'll see ya later King! Gotta find me a Googs!" He let go of King and practically skipped down the hall.

King bit his lip, wondering if he should tell Dark. Then again, Google would keep him in check. He was probably the most responsible one there besides Dark himself.

It should be fine.

——————————

Google narrowed his eyes as he stared at the crudely drawn picture in his hands. He looked up to see the Jims staring at him, studying his face for a reaction. Google sighed. "Reporter Jim, what is this?"

"Well you see, Mr. Robot man," Reporter Jim did a weird crab walk over to Google. "That's the dead man, and that's pink Jim."

Google looked at the picture again, starting to realize which one was Dark and which one was Wilford. Although it mostly just looked like scribbles in different colors.

"And that," Reporter Jim pointed at a swirl in the middle of the page. "Is the death swirly. It swallowed them up only to realize they weren't good tasties and spit them back out again."

Cameraman Jim pushed his camera in Google's face and zoomed in. Google nodded, deciding not to question the Jims and their...Jimness. "Interesting.."

"Google!" Wilford called out his name as he made his way down the hall. Google looked to him. "Hello Wilford."

"It's pink Jim!" Reporter Jim yelled. Cameraman Jim turned the camera to look at Wilford as he approached.

"Ah! My adoring apprentices." Wilford chuckled, twirling his mustache. "Anyways, Google, want to go out on the town?"

"No. And you really shouldn't either."

Wilford rolled his eyes. "I go in and out of this house as I please. And there have been no problems because of it."

"That's because all of us clean up your messes. And if you can leave on your own, why are you even asking me to go?"

Wilford smirked. "Because you're my favorite android?"

Google glared at him. "Given that Bing is the only other option that isn't saying much."

Wilford rolled his eyes. "Well Bing would've said yes by now.." He saw Google glitch for a moment, and quickly held up his hands in mock surrender. "Calm down bucko! Alright, if we're being honest, I wanted you to come because you're who Dark trusts most. If he for some reason found out I was gone, he'd be happier to know that you were with me!"

Google continued to glare at him. "No."

"Well fuck your no!" Wilford pulled out a gun and aimed it at Google's head.

"He's got a shooty! Jim run!" Reporter Jim took off down the hallway, Cameraman Jim hot on his heels. Google narrowed his eyes, placing his finger on the barrel of the gun and gently pushing it to the side. "Wilford, I am a machine. Even if you shot me, the others would find a way to repair me, and my consciousness would be active once again."

Wilford glared at him for a moment before cursing and putting the gun away. Google sighed. "Alright, now that that's settled-"

"Okay Google, accompany me tonight."

Google gawked at him. "I-Did you just use 'Okay Google' on me?!" His form glitched again in an attempt to stray from the code.

Smiling, Wilford ruffled Google's hair. "Aw, don't fight it kiddo, the code always wins. Now, we're going to need some street clothes. Although my outfit is fabulous, it does draw too much attention. What can I say, I'm beautiful." He snapped his fingers, and pink clouds formed around the two.

When they faded away, they were both dressed in casual clothing. Google was more or less dressed the same, the only difference being that he was now wearing a sweater that covered up the glowing 'G' on his chest, and a grey beanie. He frowned, unused to different clothes.

Wilford was dressed completely different. He had changed into blue jeans and a flannel, basically Mark with a pink mustache (arguably what he was already). He sighed. "My beauty is too much for this world!"

Google crossed his arms. "Well, what is it you wanted us to do then?"

Wilford wiggles his mustache. "Hmm. Ah! Perfect idea!" He snapped his fingers, and they were both engulfed in pink smoke once more.

Once it faded, they were gone.


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilford gets into a small squabble at the bar.

Anti glanced at the few people around them. Brighton wasn't a super big city, but he still didn't like how close the people were to him. He also didn't like the fact that Jameson was smiling at many of them, and drawing attention to themselves. It didn't help that they both looked like Jack, and that they were in his city.

After Jameson had waved to the eleventh person that night Anti grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him towards himself.

"Listen, you can be sweet and conversational at home, but drawing attention to yourself out here is stupid. You're lucky I managed to find some other clothes so you didn't stand out. Don't make my effort pointless."

Jameson nodded, looking a little less enthusiastic. Sighing, Anti loosened his grip on him, but still held onto his hand. "C'mon, I need a drink." He lead them towards a fairly small bar.

Just then, in the alley across from the bar, a cloud of pink smoke appeared. Once it faded only Wilford and Google remained. Google glanced around curiously, checking his GPS. "We're in Brighton. That's why you kept saying 'a night out.' But the only reason you'd come here is to see-"

"I saw them! They just walked into that bar!" He grabbed Google's arm and yanked him across the street and towards the building, ignoring the honks of cars.

Once they were inside they noticed Anti and Jameson sitting at a booth. Wilford gleefully ran over while dragging Google. "Hello boys!"

Jameson gave an enthusiastic wave as Anti scowled. "What the fuck are you doing here?" Wilford smirked, pushing Anti further into his side of the booth so that he could sit next to him. "Why, we came to see you."

"You came to see them." Google said. "I was forced." Jameson slid over to give Google some space to sit. The android thanked him and sat down.

Wilford draped an arm around Anti, beaming. "Ah yes, it's been a long time since I've seen you two! Most of the time we can only see each other when Dark and Anti here are in the middle of a brawl." Laughing, he tightened the half-hug.

Anti growled. "Get your hands off of me." His form glitched as the whites of his eyes turned black.

Jameson tapped the table and frantically pointed at his own eyes. Anti looked at him and grumbled as he forced his eyes to return to normal. His glitching was only slightly subdued though.

Google sighed. "Going out was not a smart idea, especially with your glitches."

"Like you've never had any?! At least I'm not dressed like Banana-fucking-Republic threw up on me!"

A few people from the bar were looking their way. Jameson started tapping the table again, his eyes widening as one of them stood and started walking in their direction.

"I didn't choose my clothes, Wilford did."

_Tap-tap-tap_

"And I think he looks fabulous!"

_Tap-tap-tap-tap_

"I'm not taking fashion advice from Mr. Pink suspenders over here!"

_Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-_

"Hey!" A man who seemed to be in his early thirties barked at them. Google, Anti and Wilford all looked up at him in confusion while Jameson crossed his arms and pouted, upset that no one had listened to him.

"Quiet down! You idiots are giving me a headache." The man slurred, the stench of beer on his breath. Anti grimaced. "Maybe if ya laid off the damn booze your head wouldn't hurt so much."

The man glared at Anti. "The hell did you say to me?!"

Anti stood, smirking. "I said to lay off the fucking booze you old drunk!"

The man took a step forward only to come face to face with the end of Wilford's gun. "What the fuck?!"

Wilford laughed, standing and smiling at the man. "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt a man in the middle of his drink?"

"You don't even have anything to drink-"

Wilford pointed his gun at the ceiling and fired. The man fell back onto the floor in fear. Screams echoed around the bar as some people ran out, others pulling out their phones and ducking for cover while they called the police.

Anti laughed. "You're absolutely nuts!" Jameson looked at Google, who was glaring at Wilford. "We have to go, _now._"

"Fiiiiine." Rolling his eyes, Wilford walked out of the booth, smirking when the man crawled backwards frantically. He then walked over to the bar and pointed his gun at the bartender. "A bottle of your finest for the road!"

Google placed a hand on his shoulder. "Wilford.."

Anti nudged Google out of the way and placed his own hand on Wilford's shoulder. "You're being rude Wilford! What about your frieeeends?"

Gasping, Wilford pointed the gun at the trembling bartender. "Make it two!"

Google crossed his arms, looking to Jameson. "Is he always this bad?" Sighing, Jameson nodded.

Once Anti and Wilford each had their own bottle of scotch they quickly left the bar, opting to take the lease crowded roads, so as to minimize the risk of being recognized. Although Anti seemed to be annoyed with Wilford earlier, drinking almost half the bottle had brightened his mood.

"I gotta say Wilford, you're an asshole, but I didn't know how great of one you were." Anti glitched as he spoke. Wilford chuckled, swinging his bottle as he spoke. "You're not too bad yourself Anti."

Google and Jameson walked together a few feet behind Wilford and Anti. Although Google was very much focused on steering clear of people and keeping track of the two most reckless egos, he was still able to converse with Jameson.

"I have witnessed Wilford in some...alarming...states when he has had too much to drink. I advice we steer clear of anymore bars." Jameson nodded in agreement.

"I have numerous other places near our location that we could attend, but I am unfamiliar with this area. As a resident, do you know of any spots we could go to that are void of people and possibly hazardous situations?" Jameson tapped his chin for a moment in thought before giving a eureka expression. He started to move his hands rapidly in an attempt to give directions in sign, but some of his directions seemed to contradict each other.

A small, holographic blue screen popped up in Google's hand, showing a map of the city. He outstretched his hand to Jameson, who's eyes lit up at the technology.

"Can you point to where it is on the map?" Jameson stared at it for a moment before nodding, pointing it out for Google. Google closed his palm, the directions already downloaded. "Wilford, Antisepticeye."

The two drunken egos turned around to stare at Google. "What is it tin can?" Anti growled.

Google smiled. "Jameson just suggested a wonderful area for us to visit. I suggest we go there and avoid people, especially since neither of you are really people-friendly."

Anti glitched. "Says the murderous robot!" He threw his empty bottle against the sidewalk, shattering it. "Might as well, I can't tolerate the idiots that live here even when I'm drunk."

Google narrowed his eyes. "Aren't you one of the idiots that live here?"

"Hey!" Anti glared at Google. Wilford laughed, throwing his empty bottle against the pavement as well. "See Googs! That sass is what makes you fun!"

"It's not sass, it was a fact-"

"Anyway! Where did the old chap want us to go?"

Grinning, Google opened up his small holographic map in his hand, making sure the few humans around them didn't notice. "I have the directions here. I think walking there would be the best course of action. Your method of "poofing" will only draw attention, Wilford."

Wilford groaned, but listened anyway. Anti looked at the map, scrunching his nose up. "You really think this'll be fun Jameson?"

Jameson nodded, giving two thumbs up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, the disaster gang was born.


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our disaster gang causes mayhem in a park!

"Do you think we're fucking children?" Anti growled.

"Wait a second!" Wilford tilted his head to the side as he stared at the large, empty park. "Now this doesn't seem very fun, where are all the ladies!?"

"This park is void of people due to the construction of a new playground. No individuals are supposed to be in here, and there are no cameras. Safest place for us to be without being seen." Google pulled up a holographic map as he spoke, showing the expanse of the park.

Rolling his eyes, Wilford waved his hand in the way of the holograph, as if he could shoo it away. "Now why on Earth would _the _Wilford Warfstache not want to be seen? The whole reason I wanted to come out was to have some fun with two of my favorite Septics, and you too Google, I guess."

Anti's scowl melted into somewhat of a smile, mostly due to the fact that he was still buzzed from the whiskey. "Aw, thanks you fucking fantastic mustache man." He looked around the park for a moment, grinning as he walked over to some machinery left by the construction crew.

Wilford bounced on the balls of his feet. "Ooh! Big toys!" He ran after Anti.

Google stood back and watched, Jameson once again standing beside him. The sepia-colored man tapped Google's shoulder, grabbing his attention.

"What is it?" Google asked. Jameson pointed at the equipment and then at Google.

Google shook his head. "I've known Wilford long enough to know not to participate in whatever he does. I suggest you do the same."

Just as he spoke, there was a loud clang, like metal hitting metal. Google and Jameson both looked over to see that Anti and Wilford had just ran the bulldozer and front loader into each other. The two psychos cackled loudly from within the vehicles, unconcerned with their own safety.

"Precisely my point." Google clasped his hands behind his back as he unenthusiastically watched the machinery slowly pull away from one another.

Jameson walked away from the construction-vehicle-jousting contest and sat under a newly-planted tree. Fortunately he was just far enough away that he was unable to see or hear what mischief they were causing. He gazed up at the stars in the night sky, smiling to himself.

He yawned. Usually Jameson was asleep by now. In fact he was the only Septic with a decent sleep-schedule.

_Surely there would be no harm in catching a wink or two. _Jameson nodded in agreement to his own thoughts, slowly drifting to sleep. He did not hear the subtle footsteps nearing him.

—————————————

Google stared down at the two crumpled egos lying amongst the rubble of their trashed equipment. It didn't surprise him in the least. Of course they would destroy the construction machines within minutes of using them. At least it couldn't be traced back to them.

Anti glitched out of his bulldozer with a wild grin. "Round two! Let's see what else they've got here!"

Wilford appeared in a pink cloud of smoke right next to Anti. "I call the thingy with the thing!"

"No." Google produced a holographic screen in front of himself, displaying the time for both Brighton and Los Angeles. "We need to head back to L.A., and I am sure the Septics will be expecting Jameson in his room at this hour."

Anti narrowed his eyes. "What about me?!"

Google crossed his arms. "I'm sure they are pleased that you're not terrorizing them."

Growling, Anti materialized a knife in his hand. He grinned. "Luckily you're here to take their place."

"I suggest not wasting your efforts, you may be powerful, but you're also unstable. I could disarm you and still be intact."

"Try me tin can!" Anti lunged forward and swung his knife towards Google's abdomen. Google grabbed his arm, stopping the knife just a hair shy of his torso. He pulled the knife out of Anti's strong grip, smiling to himself as the glitch pouted. "See? I don't lie. Now can we leav-"

Google cut himself off after seeing Wilford's eyes widen. They were focused to the right of Google's head.

Before Google could do anything, Wilford whipped out his gun and shot. The bullet whizzed past Google and Anti. There was a cry, and they both turned to look behind them.

Five men were dressed in all black and standing only a few yards behind them. One of the men was kneeling on the ground and clutching his leg in agony, blood pouring from the fresh bullet wound. Another man was holding a terrified Jameson against his chest with a dagger to his throat. The other men all had guns and were pointing them at Wilford.

"Put the gun away, there's five of us, and we've got your friend here." He presses the knife harder against Jameson's throat, causing him to freeze in fear.

Wilford chuckled, still keeping his gun out. "Well, one of your buddies there has got a hole in his leg, so I believe you meant _four._"

The man snarled. "We still outnumber you, and I don't think your other friends even have guns."

Anti smirked. "Well, we don't need any." His eyes flickered to black for a split second, but it didn't seem like the thugs noticed it."

But Google did.

"Anti, if you reveal yourself this can only end one way." Google whispered. He wasn't exactly opposed to it, but it would be a bigger mess to clean up.

Anti cackled. "That's only more of a reason to do it!" He glitched out of Google's arms and right in front of the thug holding Jameson.

The man opened his mouth to speak, but he wasn't able to even get a word out before Anti thrusted his dagger into the man's forehead.

The man crumpled to the ground, letting go of Jameson as he fell. Jameson clumsily stumbled away from the corpse, looking at Anti with wide eyes. The glitch grinned in response, lunging towards another thug and hacking away with his knife.

Google rushed towards Jameson and tugged him away from the chaos. Anti and Wilford were some of the strongest egos and could most definitely survive a bullet wound (actually Google wasn't sure if he had ever seen Wilford bleed). Google himself had a very tough metal interior that protected his important inner workings. Jameson, although stronger than any human, could most certainly become injured if he were to partake in the fight, which he would most likely not.

Anti had blood splattered across his clothes and arms. He had already killed the second man and was working on finishing off the third. Wilford appeared right behind the fourth and shot him straight through the skull. He leaned down and smiled. "Well! You sure didn't put up much of a fight there. Let's have another go! Surely you can put up a better fight than that?"

Jameson glanced curiously at Google. Google shook his head. "He doesn't..._understand_ death."

"Now _that_ was fun." Anti scratched at his neck as he looked at the multiple dead bodies crumpled on the ground. He then glanced at Jameson. "They didn't nick ya or anything, did they?"

Jameson swallowed and shook his head no, his eyes focused on the blood covering Anti.

Google glanced around, his eyes narrowing. "Where is the fifth?"

Wilford smiled. "What are you talking about? They're all here! One, two, three, four..." His smile faded. "Oh."

"One of them got away, and he saw you both use your powers." Googled glared at Wilford. "We need to call Dark."

Wilford rolled his eyes. "That meanie is just going to complain. I say we just explore the beautiful city of Brighton some more! I hear they've got a splendid beach!"

Jameson gasped and grabbed onto Google's arm, turning him. Google scanned to see what had caught his attention.

There was a small camera lens peeking out from a bush. It blended in extremely well, and was obviously meant to be hidden. Google didn't notice it once they had first came, mostly because he was too busy making sure none of the egos sustained any injuries from their little trip to the park. Now that he knew the camera was there, however, he needed to destroy the evidence.

Google walked towards the bush and pulled away the leaves surrounding the camera. He scanned the brand name of the camera and did a quick search on the web to see what type it was and how best to wipe its memory.

Once he saw the search results, his eyes widened.

It was a camera specifically for live recordings.

The recording was live.

Google frantically tried to trace where the live feed was being sent to. It was no use. The location was far too encrypted for Google to trace.

Someone somewhere had just witnessed everything, and there was nothing they could do about it.

Google turned to Wilford. "We need to leave right now."

"Aw, but-"

"Now Wilford!" Google's usually monotone voice rose in volume and pitch, betraying the smallest sense of fear. Wilford closed his mouth, surprised at the android's change in demeanor.

"Alright." Wilford snapped his fingers, and all four of them were engulfed in pink smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mistakes were made.


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The other Septics finally realize that a certain gentleman and glitch are missing.

"Marvin? Vhere is ze coffee? I cannot find it anywhere." Dr. Schneeplestein asked as he opened the cupboard. He sighed when he saw a torn bag of coffee grinds. "Never mind, I think Anti vas ze last one to get coffee.

Marvin walked into the kitchen looking tired. His mask was pulled back and resting on the top of his head, making the purplish marks of exhaustion under his eyes visible. He rolled his eyes when he saw the bag and the scattered coffee grounds. "He just does that because he knows we all need it. He doesn't. He doesn't even sleep." Marvin yawned, scooping some of the grounds in his hands and placing them in the coffeemaker. Dr. Schneeplestein grabbed another handful and placed it into the coffeemaker with Marvin's scoop. After pouring in some water they both sat at the table and waited for the coffee to brew.

Dr. Schneeplestein glanced at the clock on the microwave and sighed. _2:15 AM._ Another long night. Marvin drummed his fingers against the table as he looked at nothing in particular. The drip of the coffee as it brewed was the only sound in the room. Both of them were too tired for small talk.

Eventually the coffee was finished, and both men hastily raced over to the coffeemaker. After they both had a warm mug in their hands, talking suddenly became easier.

"Hey Schneep, how come you're not using your favorite mug?"

"Ze glitch startled me and I dropped it."

Marvin shrugged. "Not the first time, probably won't be the last. Just be glad that it's not Halloween."

They both shuddered, Marvin taking another sip of his coffee.

Dr. Schneeplestein scratched at his beard. "Thankfully I didn't give in vhen he asked for me to stitch up his cut." Marvin spit out his coffee. "Shit!"

"Vhat?!" The doctor's eyes widened. "Vhat did you do?"

Marvin scratched the back of his neck. "I, um, fixed the cut in his throat temporarily."

"You vhat?!"

"He pissed me off! And he called my powers stage magic."

"But you do stage magic!"

"Well I can do a lot more too!" Marvin huffed, crossing his arms. Dr. Schneeplestein pinched the bridge of his nose. "I have no doubt zhat glitch is out causing havoc and zhere is nothing ve can do about it."

"That's not true! Jackie is out, we could call him and ask if he can look for Anti." Marvin suggested.

Dr. Schneeplestein pulled out his phone. "I'll call him." He stood up and exited the room.

Sighing, Marvin decided to start another pot.

Dr. Schneeplestein tapped his foot impatiently in the living room as he waited for Jackieboy Man to pick up.

"Schneep?"

"Jackie! Ze glitch is gone!"

"Shit. I'll go search around the city for him after I take care of some burglars. Is anyone else gone?"

"No, at least Marvin and I for sure are here."

"Check on Jamie and Chase too. Anti likes screwing around with them the most. I got to go. Keep me updated."

"Vill do." Dr. Schneeplestein hung up, already making his way down the hall to Chase's room. Once he was at his door he knocked. "Chase?" There was silence on the other side, and Dr. Schneeplestein felt a familiar pang of worry in his stomach. "Chase?!" Again, no answer.

He wasn't even going to bother knocking a third time. The doctor opened the door, eyes frantically scanning the room. He tensed once he saw a bottle of whiskey by the bed, and a form crumpled underneath the blankets.

Not exactly a welcoming sight, but at least it wasn't as bad as he had originally thought. Dr. Schneeplestein walked over to the side of the bed, noticing Chase's hair peeking out from the covers.

"Chase.." Dr. Schneeplestein sighed and sat down besides Chase. "How long have you been like this?"

Chase only curled more into himself, not saying a word. Not one of his worst days, but being unresponsive meant that he wasn't going to want to move for a while. The doctor wanted to help him as much as he could, but he was supposed to check on Jameson...

He stiffened as he felt Chase grab his arm. Looking down, he saw the glazed eyes of Chase staring to the side, refusing to meet his face. He was biting his lip, and his grip was tightening.

"Hey, I'm here, I'm here." Dr. Schneeplestein pulled Chase into a sitting position. Chase leaned on his shoulder, trembling.

The doctor stroked his back as he stared at the bed sheets, focusing all his attention on comforting Chase. They sat like that for a while, saying nothing.

"Schneep?" Marvin's hesitant voice called from outside the door. Dr. Schneeplestein managed to wriggle away from Chase, who really didn't put up much of a fight, and wander to the door. "Vell, is Jameson in his room?"

Marvin shook his head. "No, and I checked around the house too. He's not here."

"Damn it!" Dr. Schneeplestein scratched at his beard. "I'm going to phone Dr. Iplier. Hopefully Anti just brought Jameson along to see a brawl between him and Dark."

"Isn't that also bad?"

"Zat is ze best case scenario. We would at least know vhere they are, and Darkiplier is sensible enough to fight without drawing ze attention of random people." Dr. Schneeplestein walked to the bed and patted Chase's arm before exiting the room.

Sighing, Marvin walked over and sat beside Chase, taking the doctor's place. Hopefully this could be sorted out quickly.

Otherwise this could become an even bigger problem.

———————————————-

"Sports bras? Well, we could probably do that, but we'd need a lot more help seeing neither you or I wear them."

Jack searched through his fridge with one hand, the other holding his phone up to his ear. He could hear Mark humming to himself on the other end.

"Well I talked about it a little to Amy, and she said that if we do end up going into that to keep in mind that there are different sizes and shapes. Also there are tons of materials we should stay away from. And a lot of other stuff."

Jack chuckled as he grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge. "Ah yes, 'a lot of other stuff.' You sound like a true businessman."

"I am very much a businessman!"

"Dude you can barely manage not dying. You're lucky I'm doing this with you." Jack closed the fridge door and walked back to his bowl of cereal. As he poured the milk he couldn't help but smile at the absolute near-disaster that was the pole dancing video. He legitimately thought he would have to keep an ambulance on call in case Mark completely broke himself.

"That may be true, but at least I change my clothes more than once a month _Seán._"

Jack mocked gasped. "How _dare _you?! I want a divorce."

"Fine, but I get custody of baby Cloak."

"It'll be a cold day in hell before I let that happen!" Jack laughed as he ate a spoonful of cereal.

There were some muffled voices on Mark's end before he spoke again. "I have to get back to editing, but I'll call you tomorrow -er- later today for you, tomorrow for me."

"Alright, but sleep. I feel weird being the one to tell you that instead, but I'm tired of you being tired and getting sick! Get some rest!"

"Fine mom." Mark groaned, although Jack could hear the joking tone.

"Well, night Mark."

"Morning Seán." Jack smiled before hanging up and returning to his cereal. It was a pleasantly quiet morning. It had just started to rain outside, and the sight of it hitting the kitchen window was calming. After breakfast Jack washed his dishes and headed into the living room to watch the news and possibly get in a little exercise. He got into a plank position as he listened to the anchorman talk about something that had happened in the park last night.

_"-and although the police have not released the footage, we expect to receive information regarding the criminals involved soon."_

Jack's phone started ringing. He reached out with one arm and quickly pulled it from his pocket, answering it. His other arm only trembled a little as he tried to keep his body steady. "Hello?"

"Jack! We have a problem."

The sound of his own voice startled Jack. He glanced down at the contact information, seeing a little cat emoji. He brought the phone back to his ear as he stood. "Marvin? What happened?"

"Anti and Jameson are missing! They've been gone since last night. Schneep is calling the Ipliers and Jackie is looking around Brighton but we have no idea where they are!"

"Stay calm. I'll be over soon." Jack hung up his phone and ran around the room, throwing his shoes and jacket on. Anti missing wasn't exactly good news, but it was also common. Jameson, however, never left the house without telling the others. It would be an understatement to say Jack was worried.

He ran out of the apartment, barely remembering to grab an umbrella.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure it'll be fine.


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brighton officers are on the case, and Wilford most certainly did not poof everyone back home.

The footage was unrealistic. It had to be a hoax. At least, that's what the chief of the Sussex Police Force believed. Video editing. Perfect explanation.

Except that the footage was from a live recording.

The chief didn't know much about video editing, but he was very sure that creating the effects on the fly like that was no easy feat. If they were effects-

Which they were. There was no other explanation for it.

But... that didn't change the fact that four men were brutally murdered in the park.

The chief himself had placed a hidden camera near the construction area. Originally it was supposed to be used to reveal the identities and the habits of a known gang of drug dealers. Technically it accomplished its task. They had the identities of all the men, and four of their corpses.

The chief took a long sip of his coffee. He was on his fourth cup. The drug bust had escalated into a murder investigation overnight, which had basically wiped out any chance of heading home that evening.

There were only a few other officers who had seen the footage, and each of them stated that it was fake. It was obvious, they said. No human had skin tinted that green, or could move at that speed. Besides, the video was full of glitches. Sure, they only really appeared around two of the individuals in the video, but it at least showed that it must have been corrupted.

Still, seeing the manic glint in the pink-mustached man's eyes and the creeping grin of the hooded man sent shivers down the chief's back.

He may make a few calls to a division that specializes in the abnormal cases just to get a second opinion. In the mean time he can figure out the identity of the men in the video and also look for the gang member who escaped. Surely he must know something.

\------------------------------

The bright lights were disorienting. Music thundered in Jameson's ears as he tried to squint into the blinding, pulsating colors. He could just barely hear Wilford and Google arguing about something. Where did Wilford send them exactly? Jameson swayed on his feet, someone bumping into him from behind and causing him to stumble into Google's metal body. He frantically tapped the android's shoulder with one hand and used the other to shield his eyes. Google glanced at him, noticing the nausea in the gentlemen's face. Without alerting the others, he grabbed Jameson's arm and dragged him through the crowd of bodies towards the doors.

Once they were outside, Jameson pulled away from Google, taking a moment to breathe and ground himself. Google waited for him to calm down before speaking.

"Do you feel more at ease now?"

Jameson gave a shaky thumbs up.

"Good." Google glanced at the area surrounding them, reading the sign on the building. Wilford had transported them into a densely crowded club, that much was obvious. However, Google had no idea where exactly this club was located.

"I'm going to check our destination, it will be only a moment," Google said to Jameson, who nodded.

Miniature LED lights flashed in Google's irises, making them appear a crystal blue as he checked their location. His eyes widened once he saw that they were no longer in Brighton, although Google should've known that Wilford wouldn't want to stay in one place for long. They were instead at a club in Boston, Massachusetts. People in the streets passed by them, thankfully not recognizing their faces. Still, Google didn't want to chance a fan crossing paths with them.

"We need to contact Darkiplier. He can get here the fastest." Jameson frowned, pointing at Google.

"I cannot, again, I was strictly ordered not to contact Darkiplier, or try and send him a message through one of the other Ipliers. You, however, have no such restrictions. Jack did give you a cellphone, did he not?"

Jameson nodded, fumbling as he pulled it out. He opened up the keypad and looked at Google.

Understanding what he was asking, Google gave him Darkiplier's cellphone number. Wilford never said he couldn't give the number so someone else could call Dark.

Once Jameson had finished inputting the number he began texting. The poor gentlemen was a slow texter. Google was able to see him frantically trying to retype words on the screen. It didn't help that every now and then the phone seemed to be glitching-

Wait,_ glitching-_

Before Google could say anything, the screen turned red, glitched laughter pouring from the speakers. Jameson gasped, dropping the phone onto the pavement below. The screen cracked. Jameson picked the phone up and tried turning it on, looking heartbroken as only a red screen showed.

Google turned to look at the club, glaring at the infamous glitch standing right outside. He smirked, walking towards them. "Come on, did you think I would really let you text Dark? It's been a while since I've had any fun like this."

"Antisepticeye this situation is starting to get out of hand. We were all caught on video, along with the murder of those men. Even if whoever saw us thinks it is fake, the bodies are still there. Did you really not consider the fact that Jack and Mark could be interrogated?"

Anti rolled his eyes. "Like I give a shit about dumb and dumber. Let them get arrested, Jack's channel can be mine then."

Google cocked an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. "You do realize that if either of them went to jail you would not be able to take over the channel, at least not without causing suspicion as to why 'Jack' is uploading and in prison."

Giggling, Anti waved a hand dismissively. "Again, I couldn't give two shits." Obviously the alcohol was still in his system.

Jameson wagged a finger at Anti as he took out his pocket watch and tapped the face of the clock. Again, Anti rolled his eyes. "It's earlier here by like six hours. So technically, we have plenty of time to mess around."

"That is incorrect for numerous reasons," Google said. The club door opened again as two men dragged Wilford out.

It was only a matter of time before Wilford would get booted from the club.

"Oh come _on, _that's no way to treat a paying customer!"

"You _weren't _paying. That's the problem," one of the bouncers said. They finally let go of Wilford, shoving him a bit as well before turning and heading back inside.

Wilford brushed himself off, glaring at the club doors. "Well! Rude!!" He looked over at the others, his frown fading to a smile. "There you all are! I was wondering where you went."

Sighing, Google retreated into his GPS for a brief moment to find the closest hotel. "Obviously you do not want to head home yet, but we can not stay out in the open for very long either. There's a hotel a block away from here. I suggest we head there and formulate a plan of action."

Anti shrugged. "If it gets your ass to stop whining, sure." He smirked. "Besides, we can raid the mini bar."

"I sincerely suggest we stray from alcohol of any kind. And people." His eyes lit blue for a moment again before fading back to brown. "There, I secured us joint-rooms."

"Grand! Let's hurry, I've got a feeling there's going to be a lovely lady manning the front desk," Wilford stated, winking at the others as he lead the way, following Google's directions.

\---------------------------

As it turned out, there was a woman at the front desk. She appeared to be in her later twenties and thankfully didn't recognize any of them. Still, Google and Jameson tried to keep their faces downcast.

"Checking in?" The woman asked, fluttering her eyes as she stared at Wilford. 

"As a matter of fact we are! Rooms 223 and 224-"

"226 and 227," Google corrected.

"Right!"

The woman nodded and typed something into the keyboard before handing Wilford two keycards. "Here you go." She leaned forward on the counter. "You know, my shift ends in about an hour..."

Wilford smiled and leaned against the counter as well, resting his chin on his palms. "Really now-"

"No you don't." Google grabbed Wilford by the wrist and dragged him down the hall and away from the woman. Anti and Jameson followed close behind.

It didn't take them long to find their rooms. Once they had successfully used the keycards and opened them, they realized that they would have to split into two groups.

"Dibs on Jamie!" Wilford grabbed Jameson by the arm and ran into one of the rooms, slamming the door shut behind them.

Google and Anti exchanged a look.

It would be an interesting night...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roomies!


	7. Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack talks to the other Septics.

"Seán McLoughlin and Mark Fischbach."

The chief looked up from his desk at his detective. "What?"

"The identities of the men in the video. Seán McLoughlin was the one dressed in all black, and Mark Fischbach was the one with pink mustache." The detective placed a pile of printed screenshots of the video footage onto the chief's desk. "My niece watches them on YouTube, so I recognized the faces. I don't know how they had managed to corrupt our video files though. Unless they didn't know about this, which seems very unlikely."

The chief narrowed his eyes as he looked at the screenshots and the photos of the YouTubers in question. "No doubt, that's them. Where do they live?"

The detective crossed his arms. "That's the thing, Seán McLoughlin lives within walking distance of the park, but Mark Fischbach lives in California."

"What? Well, have someone look into our database for McLoughlin's address and send them to bring him in for questioning. We need to find out what happened."

The detective looked unsure. "Shouldn't we bring in the rest of the force up to date on this? This was a massacre and these men have large followings of people, many of them are even children. We shouldn't risk them luring their fans."

The chief shook his head. "No, not until we can explain what happened in that footage. For all we know these two might not actually be involved and some obsessed fan is trying to get their attention by corrupting our feed. We should have more information after we question this McLoughlin guy. Until then, keep the footage between me, you, Barker and Williams."

The detective nodded, still unsure about going against protocol. "Alright, chief." He walked out of the office, leaving the chief to look up the names of their suspects and find out more about them.

———————————————————————————

Jack looked up at the house in front of him. He didn't have a hard time finding the place, he usually liked to drop by and say hi anyway. After he rang the doorbell, the door swung open, a hand grabbing Jack by the front of his shirt and yanking him inside.

"Whoa!" Jack stumbled for a moment as the door was closed. He looked at Marvin. "Okay, I could've walked in just fine."

"Sorry, I just kind of grabbed in case you were Anti so you couldn't get away." Marvin sighed, fiddling with this mask. "I was kind of hoping he would've just came back on his own with Jameson. Guess that was wishful thinking."

Shrugging, Jack walked further into the house. "Who knows, Jameson could've talked Anti into coming back. He's a stubborn little dapper dude. Did you try calling Darkiplier or Wilford?"

Marvin nodded as he went into the kitchen. "Wilford wasn't picking up, but I told Dark to keep an eye out for them. Other than that though no one has seen them."

Jack leaned against the wall as he watched Marvin make a cup of coffee. "You don't have to go through the trouble-"

"This is for Schneep," Marvin replied as he watched the coffeemaker drip. "Knowing Anti he's probably being an ass to Jamie and not letting him text back."

Jack cringed at the cold tone Marvin used, but it was justified. "They'll show up soon. Jamie wouldn't try to worry us for long, and if one of them got hurt, the other would make sure that they got back."

Marvin looked at Jack. "What if they both got hurt?"

The Septics practically thought of Jack as a father figure, so he had to remain optimistic. Smiling, Jack replied. "Well, then they'll work extra hard to get back or at least find a way to contact us. Besides, if they aren't with the Ipliers, then they have to be somewhere in Brighton. Anti and Jameson can't teleport, and I doubt that they would be able to use public transportation without being seen."

Marvin smiled. "Yeah, that's true, they wouldn't want to draw attention to themselves." He poured some coffee into a mug. "We might be overreacting, it's just not like Jameson to disappear like that."

Jack shrugged. "Anti was probably going to do something stupid and Jameson went along to make sure that he didn't. Or to at least know where he was when he did. They'll turn up if we don't find hem immediately." Jack looked down the hall towards the bedrooms. "So, how is everyone else?"

"Schneep is hanging with Chase right now. It's not a good day."

"Oh," Jack frowned. "Well, maybe he'll feel a little better with a surprise visit?"

Marvin smiled. "He'll be so happy." He lead the way down the hall, stopping outside of Chase's room. "Schneep," he called softly, knocking on the door. Shortly after the door opened, showing a very tired Schneeplestein. His mood seemed to brighten at the sight of Jack though. "You're here!"

Jack chuckled. "Yeah, rushed over as soon as I heard."

Schneeplestein smiled more once he saw the coffee in Marvin's hands. "And coffee?! Zis day vould be better if ze glitch bitch showed up with ze little one." He snatched the coffee from Marvin's hands and took a big gulp.

Marvin cringed. "That's really hot, aren't you afraid you burnt your tongue?"

"Vhen you are a doctor you do not care about such zhings."

Jack tilted his head. "That definitely seems like something I would worry about as a doctor."

Schneeplestein shook his head. "Hush, not until I have drank ze coffee."

Jack scooted past the doctor into Chase's room. "Hey, Chase? Bro?" He frowned when he saw Chase's figure lying wrapped in the blankets. He walked towards the bed, kneeling in front of the bedside as he looked at Chase's face.

Once Chase saw that it was Jack, he sat up. "Jack?"

Jack nodded. "Yep, it's me dude." Chase wasted no time as he wrapped his arms around his creator in a tight hug. Laughing, Jack hugged him back. "Missed you too bro." He sat down on the bed besides Chase while Marvin and Schneeplestein left them to talk.

Chase rubbed at his eyes. "So, you're here about Jamie and Anti, right? Schneep told me they were missing."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, and I was initially freaked out, but there's still time left in the day. They'll probably show up at like midnight, all covered in mud with like a weird story to tell."

Chase rubbed the blanket between his fingertips. "You really don't seem that concerned about them..."

"Whoa," Jack held up his hands. "I am concerned, but you're all adults, you know when shit is too out of control. Even Anti does. He might like fucking shit up, but he doesn't want to like expose your existence. Who knows who would come looking for you guys. They didn't come home last night, which might be suspicious for Jamie, but he _is _with Anti. Little dapper dude it probably just keeping an eye on him. They'll be back soon, and then we can scold them both. Alright?"

Chase nodded. "Alright." He shifted on the bed. "So, um, are you going to head back home now?"

Jack shook his head. "Nah, I've decided to take the day off and spend it with you guys. Maybe we can watch some movies or play some games."

"Really?!" Chase beamed. Jack couldn't help but laugh at the child-like enthusiasm. "Yeah! Of course! I love hanging with you guys."

Chase got off the bed. "Hold on I just need to grab a refill on my meds at the pharmacy."

"Your antidepressants? Doesn't Schneep get them for you?"

Chase shrugged. "Usually, yeah. I haven't really been trusting his half-asleep self though. Last time he got me something that wasn't my prescription from his own supply."

"That's not good," Jack shook his head. "I'm gonna yell at all your asses. Someone is always fucking sleep-deprived."

Laughing, Chase pointed to Jack. "Learned from the best."

"Haha, chill with Marvin and Schneep in the living room, I'll be back soon."

"Wait!" Chase fumbled in the drawer of his nightstand. Just out of curiosity, Jack peeked inside, trying to keep a straight face when he saw a family photo of Chase and his kids with a cut-off section that was obviously meant to be Stacy. Jack quickly moved his eyes up to meet Chase's when he was handed an empty pill bottle.

"They'll give you a refill, I mean with you looking like me and all."

Jack laughed. "It's kind of more of you looking like _me. _I'll have your prescription back soon." He waves at Chase before heading out of the bedroom. He gave a quick wave to the others in the living room, shouting "I'll be back" before exiting the house.

The trip to the pharmacy was short, and soon he had Chase's medication. He strolled down the street, nearing his own apartment complex. It was between the pharmacy and the Septic's house. If the egos needed to make a run, they usually stopped by to say hi to Jack. As Jack was about to pass his apartment building, though, he noticed a man and a woman walking up to him outside of the complex.

"Seán McLoughlin?"

Jack stopped in his tracks, knitting his brows together. "Um, yeah?"

The woman pulled out a badge from her jacket and showed it to him. "Sussex Police Force, we need you to come with us for questioning."

Jack's eyes widened as he nodded. "Okay, um, how long will it take?"

The woman pocketed the badge. "Depends on how well it goes. Please follow us into the car."

Jack obeyed, following the two officers into an unmarked police car. As he got in only one thought circled in his head.

_What the fuck did Anti and Jameson do?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So actions have consequences. Who knew.


	8. Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dark is having a rather productive start to the day. Meanwhile, Jack is brought in for questioning.

Darkiplier stared at the finished documents on his desk in confusion. Expenses paid, plans for renovations to accommodate new egos drafted, even the laundry was done. Somehow, he was ahead on his work. That never happened.

_That never happened._

That of course wasn't due to Dark being a slacker or anything, he was far from that. He was always thinking ahead, but usually the other egos gave him extra work to take care of first. Bodies to hide, police reports to cover, suspicious individuals to murder.

So, why hadn't anything gone wrong?

Cracking his neck, Dark stood. He needed to find out what was going on. Even though a peaceful and productive afternoon was favorable, it was usually a bad omen in the Iplier household. Nothing ever went that well. Dark straightened his tie and walked out of his office as the blue in his aura grew.

The first person he saw in the hall was Dr. Iplier. "Doctor." Dark called, walking up to him. Dr. Iplier nodded sluggishly, rubbing his eyes with his palms. "Morning Dark." He yawned.

"Have you seen Wilford at all this morning? He usually comes to me at this time to talk about some random hookup."

Dr. Iplier blinked. "Um... well it's Monday, so-"

"It's Tuesday, actually." Dark frowned. "You have a calendar in your room."

"Ah! Yeah! Right..." Dr. Iplier flushed. "Well, either way, can you really count on Wilford to be punctual?"

"No." Dark sighed. "But, he did talk a lot about wanting to go out last night. I told him no, but I knew he probably wouldn't listen. Let me know if you see him."

"Will do." Dr. Iplier turned and continued walking down the hall, stumbling a little and placing his hand on the wall.

Dark narrowed his eyes and followed. "You look terrible. How much sleep have you had?"

Dr. Iplier stopped walking and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Umm..."

"Did Google not send you to bed?"

Shaking his head, Dr. Iplier answered. "No, actually. He didn't come by and I thought I would just keep working."

Unsurprisingly, the doctor was a workaholic like their creator. "You're our doctor, I would like to see you well-rested before you attempt to take care of anyone else." Dark placed a hand on the doctor's shoulder. "Go to bed."

"I'm not a child-" A cold glare from Dark was all it took for the doctor to shut up. He slowly made his way back to his bedroom.

_Honestly, why did Mark have to be so horrible at taking care of himself.__ Now they've all inherited it. _Dark groaned as he walked further down the hall. Just another thing to hate his creator for.

Dark walked into the living room, seeing the Jims doing... something.

Narrowing his eyes, Dark stopped at the living room couch, staring at Reporter Jim, who had both arms deep in the couch, and Cameraman Jim, who had his camera in his brother's face.

"-and we will soon find out what Anime-Jim hid in the couch!" Reporter Jim suddenly noticed Dark hovering above the both of them, and smiled. "Hello dead man!"

Dark sighed. "I guess you're still sticking to that name?"

Reporter Jim then turned his attention back to the couch, pulling his arms out. In his hands was a pink journal.

"And here we have the Bible of Senpai."

Dark took the book out of Jim's hand, shoving it back into the couch. "You really want to try and mess with one of the most unstable egos in the building?"

"You heard it here first folks! The dead man thinks that anime-Jim is unstable!" Reporter Jim cried into the camera. Dark just stared at them in silence.

"Dark!" Dr. Iplier came running down the hall, eyes wide. The earlier fatigue seemed to be long gone.

Growling, Dark turned to the doctor. "Doctor, I told you to get some rest, do I really have to make you-"

"Dr. Schneeplestein just called. Jameson and Antisepticeye are missing. And Jackieboy Man had heard some people in Brighton talking about a man with a pink mustache taking his gun out at a bar."

Dark's eyes widened, his aura flickering between red and blue rapidly. "I'll find Google-"

"Google's gone too." Dark turned to see Bing coming down the hall as well. He lifted his sunglasses up, orange irises glowing as he furrowed his brows in concern. "I've tried contacting him but he like, won't respond. Can't locate him either, bro is like incognito."

"So, Wilford must've made Google go with him to visit Anti and Jameson. Of course. This morning was going far too smoothly." Dark's aura flamed red as he clenched his fists behind his back.

Bing shifted on his feet. "Dude should we call Mark?" Dark shook his head. "Don't call me dude. Also, we don't need Mark. Doctor, call back Schneeplestein and get more information on where Anti and Jameson usually frequent. Bing, go through any street cameras around Brighton, especially around the bar that Jackieboy was talking about."

Nodding, Dr. Iplier took out his phone to call Dr. Schneeplestein again, while Bing followed, his eyes glowing orange as he looked at a holographic screen full of images and videos. Dark sighed, his aura collapsing in on itself for a moment before expanding again.

It seemed that he had a far busier day ahead of him after all.  
  
  


\--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  


Jack scratched at his beard as he stared at the officers in front of him. The woman stared back with cold, calculating eyes, arms crossed. "So, Mr. McLoughlin. You said you were at home last night, correct?"

"Yes. I was live streaming, actually. There's proof on twitch."

The woman glared. "Really? We thought you were live streaming in the park with your friend." She gestured her associate to come over. The man did so, placing a laptop on the desk in front of Jack.

Jack narrowed his eyes. "What?"

The woman pressed a button on the keyboard, and then a video started playing. Jack watched as a handful of gruff-looking men filled the screen, Jameson being held back by one of them. Jack shifted, fear pooling in his stomach for his ego.

The audio was suddenly filled with a garbled, glitchy noise that Jack knew all too well. Anti came onto the screen and attacked the man holding Jameson, going after the others as well. Jack tensed as he saw an Iplier show up as well, WIlford Warfstache. Then Googleplier came into the scene and grabbed Jameson, holding him back.

The gruesome murders unfolded, leaving Jack to squirm uncomfortably in his seat. The blood, Anti stabbing them over and over. It didn't matter that Jack knew what Anti was capable of, seeing it was completely different. When he saw one of the men coughing up blood he couldn't take it anymore. "Stop! Please just stop!" Jack covered his face with his hands, trying to calm himself down.

The man stopped the video. "We don't know how you did it, but those men are dead now. You and your friend are going to be put away anyway, so just fess up."

He had to call Mark. Before he did that, he had to get out of the room. Jack rubbed his eyes. "That was horrifying, but I didn't have a part in that."

The woman slammed her hands on the table, startling Jack. "Bull. That is you."

"No, I didn't do any of this. I wasn't in the park. I was at home. I was live-streaming in my home, playing a game online with my friends. There's actual proof on twitch, and I have a few names I can give you to attest to that."

The woman shrugged. "Fine, lie. At some point you're going to crack." Jack glared at her. "You didn't even officially arrest me, you can't just keep me here. And even if you did, I know my rights, I can go after thirty-six hours."

The woman smirked. "Actually we can hold you here for ninety-six hours if we want. This is a massacre. You're our primary suspect. You and your friend actually. He's supposedly in America right now, correct?"

"Not supposedly, he is. That's because he didn't murder anyone."

The woman opened her mouth to speak, only for her phone to ring. "Damn it." She answered it, walking out of the interrogation room. Jack scratched his beard, avoiding the eyes of the other officer.

A few moments later the woman came back, scowling. "We're releasing you for now. We're going to question you later, but you absolutely must remain in Brighton."

The other officer gawked at her. "What?! Who said-"

"The chief. I'll discuss it with you later." She looked at Jack. "Get out."

He didn't need to be told twice. Jack quickly stood and hurried out of the room, and then out of the station. As he started speed-walking back to the Septics, he got his phone out. Two rings, and then his call was answered.

"Jack?" Mark's voice was quiet and hoarse. Still sick. "What's up?"

"Mark, we're fucked."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's going to be fiiiiine.


	9. Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilford and Jameson have a pillow fight! If only Anti and Google could get along just as well.

Wilford chuckled as he lay down on one of the beds, sprawling out to take up as much space as possible. "Well! That was a splendid evening, wouldn't you say?"

Jameson raised an eyebrow as he sat down on the other bed. That evening certainly wasn't _his_ idea of splendid.

Confused, Wilford turned over onto his stomach, looking up at Jameson. "What? Didn't you have fun?"

Jameson shook his head, screwing his eyes shut in fear. He didn't know how the madman would react to his honesty.

There was a moment of silence before a pillow hit Jameson in the face, causing him to fall back onto the bed. He sat up and stared at Wilford, who was beaming.

"C'mon! Loosen up old chap!" Wilford got another pillow out. "We're going to beat each other with these until you're smiling!"

Jameson smirked.

"Alright! Then we'll just battle until I say we're done-" Wilford didn't even get a chance to finish before Jameson smacked him in the face with a pillow.

Regaining his composure, Wilford stood on top of his bed, holding his own pillow like a rifle. "You sneaky little- you're wonderful at this!"

Jameson stuck his tongue out playfully before getting hit in the side by Wilford's pillow. The madman laughed.

"Betcha Googs and the glitch are having just as much fun!"

——————

Anti threw himself onto one of the beds, mumbling a soft "mine" into the blankets.

Sighing, Google walked over and sat on the other bed. His eyes glowed blue as a holographic screen popped in front of his face. Google then proceeded to browse through numerous articles and images.

Eventually, Anti decided he was not tired and instead opted to spy on Google. It was a little difficult to see the images and articles on the holographic screen as Google swiped past them, but Anti was able to catch a glimpse of most of them.

Then, a picture of Anti showed up on the screen, startling him in the split second it was visible before Google switched to another article.

"Whoa! Hey, go back." Anti stood and scrambled over to sit on the bed, right next to Google. The android leaned away. "I would prefer it if you stayed on your own bed."

"I saw a picture of me! Go back!"

"It's just an image from my memory files, and I'm looking for something else, so leave me alone." Google continued scrolling past, his eyes focused, searching for something.

Anti growled. No _robot_ was going to tell him what to do.

"Show me!" Anti placed his hand on the holographic screen, glitching as he did so. The glitches impacted the screen, spreading and affecting Google as well. Both the glitch and the android were promptly covered in a mix of blue and green pixels. Google beeped in alarm as his entire body jerked and stuttered in an attempt to separate itself from the virus, an error screen popping up over his head.

"Get-get-get-get-" Google stuttered before his arm jerked outwards, shoving Anti off of him._ "Off!"_

Anti lay on the floor for a moment before growling and standing up, his form glitching erratically. "Hey! Did I say you could shove me?!"

Google clenched his fists as the holographic screen finally dissolved. He stood, fuming. "I recall ask-sk-sk-sking you to stay on-n-n-n your beeeeeeeed-" Suddenly Google stiffened, an error message popping up in front of him, along with a loading bar that said 'rebooting.'

Anti stared blankly at Google, waiting. "Hello?" After no sign of movement, the glitch cautiously approached, stopping right in front of Google.

"Can you hear me?" Anti asked, poking the android's chest. Nothing. Not even a flinch.

"Great! I broke it!" Anti groaned, watching the loading bar slowly fill. Now he was angry _and_ bored. What was he going to do now?

As the glitch's eyes scanned the android, he had an idea.

Google was artificial, practically a robot, so he should be made of metal, but he had skin. What was he really made of?

Anti couldn't help but notice these things. What could anyone expect from an ego who was famously known for slicing his own neck?

The horrific curiosity took over as Anti giggled and took his knife out. He then leaned towards Google, glitching in excitement. It really did look like human skin. Anti lightly touched the edge of the knife against the skin over Google's neck, seeing it push slightly in. It seemed that on top it reacted like skin. Weird. Would the android bleed if Anti cut? Would it just be wires?

Before Anti could continue, the loading bar completely filled, and Google's arm snapped up and grabbed Anti's wrist.

Anti glitched as he tried to pull out of the android's grip. "Fucking- Let me go!" Google smirked. "As you wish." He let go of Anti, letting the glitch fall backwards, right on his ass.

"Ow!" Anti cried. He glared at Google.

Google shrugged, although a smug grin was obvious on his face. "I simply did as I was told. Sorry if it wasn't exactly what you had in mind. Maybe you should be more specific?"

"Fuck you! Alexa wannabe!" Anti stood up, glitches fizzling all around his body. "I don't have to take this shit. Especially not from some robot housekeeper." A sinister grin grew on Anti's face.

_"Okay, Google."_

Google's body went rigid as his smile was completely wiped from his face. He beeped, awaiting a command.

Anti hummed, walking around the android. "What to do..." His eyes roamed over Google before he turned and looked at the window, grinning mischievously. "Ah! Okay Google, break the glass of the window!"

Google beeped in acknowledgement of the command before walking over to the window and punching through the glass, small shards pricking his synthetic skin. Anti ran over to the window in delight, only to groan when he didn't see any blood. Lame.

Google relaxed and pulled his arm back, glaring at Anti. "Is that all?"

Anti smirked. "Nope! Okay Google, stand on the window ledge."

Google's eyes widened as his programming forced him to break the rest of the glass and climb through the window, standing on the ledge right outside. It seemed flimsy, and he could already hear it creak as it bent underneath his weight.

Laughter erupted from Anti as his body glitched and zapped a few feet backwards. "You're so fucking helpless! And you're supposed to be one of the more dangerous egos?" Anti doubled over as he cackled. "Hilarious."

Google stared down at the ground, his programming still forcing him to stand on the ledge until another command was received. The ledge started to bend even more.

Finally, Anti stood up, his laughs having subsided. "Okay Google, you can come from the ledge now-"

Anti cut himself off abruptly as the ledge snapped and Google fell downwards.

"Shit!" Anti glitched rapidly as he zapped to the window and leaned out.

Google's hands were gripping tightly onto the window ledge of the room directly below his and Anti's. It appeared that Google had scraped his arms against the wall of the building, as the glass shards had somehow been pushed deeper into the android's skin, making huge gashes. 

Anti furrowed his eyebrows. _Huh, still no blood._

Google tried to pull himself up, but as soon as he moved, the ledge bent downwards dramatically, threatening to snap. It wouldn't hold him for long, especially if he kept trying to pull up.

Anti glanced towards the tv in their bedroom and ran to it, dissolving into tiny pixels. Seconds later he fizzled out of the tv in the room below, materializing back into his normal form. He then ran to the window and glitched his arms and upper body through it. Google looked up at him, the ledge so close to collapsing underneath his weight.

Anti wasted no time as he grabbed onto Google, yanking him up. Their bodies erupted into glitches as Anti fazed both of them through the window and into the bedroom.

Once they were inside, Anti let go of the android, watching closely to make sure he could still stand on his own. "Fuck I'm sorry, I didn't realize that the ledge was so flimsy."

Google narrowed his eyes before assessing the damage on his body. The gashes on his arms had become even deeper, exposing all of his sensitive wiring. Not only that, but Anti's second round of glitching had impacted him, and he could feel his body stuttering as stray pixels hovered around his body.

Anti shifted. "Are- are you alright?"

Google whirred as he looked at the glitch, his eyes turning red momentarily before settling back on the neutral brown. "I am dammmmmmmaged."

Anti sighed. "That's fucking obvious. Is there anything I can do?"

Google narrowed his eyes. "I f-f-fail to understa-a-and your sudden sympathy."

"Fine! I won't fucking help you then!" Anti crossed his arms.

There was a high-pitched shriek, and both Anti and Google turned to see a man standing right outside of the bathroom in a towel. "Who the fuck are you?? _What_ are you?"

"Great!" Anti rolled his eyes. "First I broke the robot and now this!" Anti pulled out a knife, glaring at the man. "Thanks for showing up, I've been dying to kill something else today." Anti giggled as he approached the man, glitches flying all around his body.

Well, it seemed that Anti would be able to appease some of his blood thirst that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean, nobody died so I guess it worked out.


	10. Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A higher authority takes over the ego case. Mark decides to talk to the Ipliers. Dark organizes a search party.

The chief looked down at the stacks of papers on his desk. Most of the information was censored, so in reality, the documents were pointless. Irritated, he looked up at the man standing before his desk, glaring at his suit. No wrinkles in sight. "So, you'll be taking over then?"

The man nodded, adjusting his tie. "As of now, we are. However, we are going to need to confiscate the footage from your department. This, and all and any files and documents you may have concerning this case. Absolutely no talking to the press."

"Everything? Why? There is plenty my department can do to help."

"That will not be necessary." The man sighed before looking back at the door. "My team will be taking the materials now and interviewing the few others that know about this."

The chief sighed before nodding. "I suppose it's for the best."

The man smiled. "Glad you see it my way." There was a loud ping, and the man brought his phone up to his face, smiling as he read something. "The other interviews are over. It's time for yours now." He put on a pair of sunglasses as he took out a pen and held it at arm's length.

The chief narrowed his eyes. "What-"

There was a bright flash, and the chief stayed still, zombie-like.

The man put the pen away. "The camera in the park was broken. You found no trace of evidence from your archived livestream as to who caused the murders. You gave the case to us because of your lack of resources. We are going to confiscate both the livestream footage and other files from your care, do not try to retrieve them back from us. You will not contact us concerning this again."

The chief nodded.

The man turned and walked out of the room.

The chief shook his head before blinking rapidly. He stared at his desk and sighed.

It's a shame that the camera from the park was destroyed. His department could've gotten a lead.

Oh well.

The higher ups could take it from here.

—————————————————————————

Mark pinched the bridge of his nose. It was way too early for this. "So, Anti, Jameson, Wilford, _and_ Google are missing?"

"Yep, that's what I heard after Schneep called Iplier, at least." Jack's voice piped up from Mark's phone. "The doctors have been calling back and forth about progress but it still seems like we haven't gotten any news about where they are now. How come your egos haven't told you about this?"

Mark groaned. "Well, they would come to me, but Dark was most likely being stubborn and didn't let them. I'll have to go over and talk to them myself." He coughed, making sure to hold his phone away from himself as he did so.

"Maybe you should take some medicine first." Jack suggested.

"Uuuuuugh you and Amy both I swear."

"Stop getting sick and we'll get off your case!" Jack chuckled, and Mark joined in.

The laughter soon died down however, and the seriousness of the situation settled in again.

Mark bit his lip. "So, they just let you go? I would think they'd keep you longer considering the um, video."

"I thought so too, but they didn't keep me for much longer than an hour. I was hopeful, but they told me I can't leave the country while they investigate. They still think that we did it."

Mark shifted in his bed. "Well, we both have alibis, right? You were streaming, I'm not even in Brighton. They can't investigate this much longer before they realize that there was no way we could have done these things."

"Well, yeah. I guess you're right. Still, talk to your egos, and be careful."

"You too. I'll call you later."

"Alright, bye then."

"Bye." Mark hung up and leaned back in his bed. He looked up at his ceiling and punched the air. "Of course! Of course this happens! And I'm sick. Fucking wonderful." He pulled the blanket off himself and stepped onto the ground.

It was barely morning. Why? Why did all this have to happen so early?

And _of course_ Dark didn't let anyone tell him. He never finds out about anything from the egos until the damage had already been done. Mark threw on some Cloak sweats and sneakers, grabbing his keys and pocketing his phone before he left his house. He could take medicine when he was done making sure that this would all be okay.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

King smiled at the squirrels scurrying around his feet. He had taken his shoes off before coming outside into the yard. The grass felt nice between his toes.

And it was super early, too! Nice and quiet outside, although it was a little dark, the lights from the house lit up enough of the yard for King to not feel scared.

One of the squirrels crawled up King's side, stopping on his shoulder. It chattered to him, not really understandable, but King nodded and smiled, as if he knew what the squirrel was saying. "Yeah, sorry about the flavor. Bim tried buying a low fat peanut butter."

The squirrel brushed it's tail past King's face before scampering off his shoulder and into the grass. King stood up. "I'll go see if someone can go buy the right kind! I'll be back!" He hurried inside the glass sliding door, entering the kitchen.

Dr. Iplier was busy making a pot of coffee. By the look on his face, he definitely needed some. He looked so tired.

King walked up to the doctor. "Good morning Doctor!" Dr. Iplier looked over at King, forming a tired smile. "Morning King, how are the squirrels?"

"They're great! I actually taught them a new trick, do you wanna see it?"

"I can't right now, Dark is having us do a search party."

_Uh-oh. _King's smile faltered. "A search party?"

Dr. Iplier groaned. "Yeah, Wilford apparently left with Google yesterday and neither of them came back. Dark made sure to wake a bunch of us up and is assigning people places to look." He sighed. "The Septics also called, Anti and Jameson are missing too. This could be a big mess."

King shifted. "Yeah..."

The doctor shifted his stance, knitting his eyebrows together. "Are you alri-"

"WilfordtoldmehewasleavingandIdidn'tsayanything." King practically screamed the words out in one breath.

"Wha-what?" Dr. Iplier massaged his temples. "You knew? And you didn't say anything?"

"Wilford was going with Google! Google's super responsible!"

"Wilford doesn't know boundaries! He probably used the 'Okay Google' function, even though Google hates it, and ordered Google not to contact any of us."

King gasped. "No he wouldn't!"

Dr. Iplier sighed. "He would. He doesn't realize how bad that function is, like how he doesn't realize stabbing and shooting hurts people."

Tears welled in King's eyes. "I'm sorry! I would have told someone. It's my fault..."

The doctor looked at King, shaking his head. "No, it's not your fault. Don't worry about it right now. We're going to take care of it."

King wiped his tears away. "You won't tell Dark?"

Dr. Iplier smiled. "No, I won't. Do you want to help me bring some coffee to the others? Nobody's really happy about being up so early."

King nodded. "Sure!" He helped pour the coffee into various mugs and placed them on two trays. Dr. Iplier carried one tray, while King carried the other. They both walked into the living room, seeing numerous tired, irritated egos. Dark seemed to be the most furious of all, standing at the front of the room.

"Well, now that we have some caffeine, I hope that we can get to work."

Ed Edgar grumbled. "The pink idiot has gone off by himself before. And he's got the robot. What's the problem?"

Dark glared at him. "The problem, is that we got a call from the Septics, and they told us that Antisepticeye and Jameson Jackson were with Wilford and Google in Brighton."

Bim raised his hand. "Why can't _they_ look for them?"

Dark straightened his tie. "Well, at the moment they are. However, I'm sure we both know Wilford and Antisepticeye well enough to conclude that they won't stay in one place for long. We need to do our part and search from here. Check clubs, alleys, abandoned warehouses, the park, I don't care, just everywhere. We have two of the most reckless egos together, most likely causing havoc and drawing attention to themselves. Do any of you realize what it means for us if they are caught?"

Silence. Not one of the egos wanted to answer that question.

Of course, Dark took this as an invitation to continue speaking. "Our very existence is odd and incredible. I'm absolutely certain that some government or unaffiliated organization would want to know how we came to be. They would first take in our creators. Then, it's a slippery slope until they find us. I doubt they would be able to contain all of us, but the fact is they would at least be able to capture some of us. After they have us, no doubt they would try experiments, maybe even dissection.

So, I apologize if it's 'too early' for some of you. Perhaps you would rather be strapped down to a table as various medical instruments poke and prod at your internal organs?"

Eric Derekson spit out his coffee, coughing as other egos in the room looked nauseated.

"Ah, so that's a 'no' then? I'm glad we're all on the same page." Dark snapped his fingers, pointing at Bing. The android took off his sunglasses, projecting various maps of different states onto the wall behind Dark.

"Now," Dark cracked his neck, aura expanding.

"Let's get to work."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What in the world have they gotten themselves into?


	11. Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anti and Google go to talk to Wilford and Jameson.

Anti growled as he glared down at the mess on the floor that had once been the man from earlier. "That was way too short-lived."

Google crossed his arms, glitching. "Well i-i-if you had more self c-c-control theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen-n-"

"Okay! Shut it! I can't deal with your broken voice." Anti wiped the blood from his knife onto the bedsheets of the now-dead hotel guest. "I'll have to do something about the hall cameras before we get back to the room. Glitch them up a bit. Then they won't know we were down here!"

Google moved one of his damaged arms to point at Anti's bloody clothes. "You might want to take care of thaaaaaaaaaaaaat first. Just in case we-e-e run into sommmmmmeone."

Anti rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll go shower and then steal some of the clothes from the guy's suitcase. We're sort of the same height."

Google smirked. "Su-u-ure."

Growling, Anti pointed his knife at him. "Think you can get your stutter under control, robot?"

Google glared at Anti. "Android. I-I-I-I am an aaaaaaaaaaaaandr-o-o-oid."

"What's the difference?"

"Well-"

"Don't care." Anti walked into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

After Anti had washed the blood off of himself, he changed into a white dress shirt and some long, dark blue pants. He growled. "These are so stiff."

Google shrugged. "He only seeeeeeeeeeemed to ha-a-ave formal wear."

Anti frowned. "Alright, how much longer until you can get that fixed?"

"I could temmmmmmporarily fend off the vi-i-irus inside of me, but I would haaaaaaaave to reroute my power, which would ca-a-ause serious damage to other parts of me-e-e. Even then, my hardwaaaaaaare is damaged. My temporary solution wouldn't last lo-o-o-ong. I can only be truly fi-i-ixed when I return home."

Anti sighed. "Welp, it was fun while it lasted. Let's get to the cotton-candied creep and have him poof us all back."

Google sighed as his form glitched more. "I doubt Wilford will b-b-b-be wanting to leave annnnnnnytime soon."

"Well, I don't want to deal with you, and I'm sure the goody two shoes upstairs wants to be back home anyway. So, suspenders is going to have to listen to me." Anti opened up the door, looking into the hallway. His eyes glitched, and soon all the cameras had lost their video feed. Grinning, Anti motioned for Google to follow.

They walked down the hall, Anti making sure to step in between Google and whoever walked by to try and hide the android's injuries and avoid questions. One person asked if they were going to a convention, to which Anti replied yes, and they continued on their way. Thankfully, they hadn't met a fan-

"Oh my god!"

_Fuck._

A girl stopped in the hall, looking at the two of them. "Are you Markiplier and Jacksepticeye?"

Anti silently cursed to himself as he subdued his glitches and the green tint of his skin. It was only a mater of time. He turned his head slightly and whispered to Google. "Don't speak. Keep your glitching down by any means necessary, and make sure to smile like that idiot." Anti then turned and smiled, Google following his lead.

The girl shrieked and ran over to them. "It is you! What are you doing here-" She looked at Google and gasped. "An ego video??"

Anti held his hands up. "Secret project. We can't say anything else. Especially Mark. He's been getting a bit of a sore throat."

"Oh! I'm sorry about that. I hope you feel better soon."

Google mouthed a silent 'thank you' without a single glitch. Looks like it was going well so far, but it's exhausting to keep the glitches down. Anti especially knew that. They had to wrap this up. He placed a hand on Google's back, making it apparent that they were going to start heading out.

"It was nice meeting you..."

"Arianna."

"..._Arianna_, but we really have to get going. Busy day." He forced a scarily spot-on Jack laugh, playing his part perfectly.

"Okay, I got it. Can I get a picture though? I won't post it." She already had her phone out.

_This little... _Anti pushed down any impulses to murder the girl right then and there. "Sorry, we don't want to risk anything, spoilers and such."

Arianna nodded, pocketing her phone. "Okay! I get it. Can I, um, get a hug though? Please?"

Anti was practically shrieking in his head. Jack would hug a fan, Mark would too, if he was feeling up to it.

So, there was no choice.

Anti nodded, arms out, and a bright smile on his face. "Of fucking course!"

Arianna hugged him, and it took all of Anti's willpower not to pull out his knife as he hugged her back.

After Arianna and Anti were done hugging, she looked to Google and immediately hugged him. Google glanced at Anti as he hugged the girl back, his eyes flashing numerous colors before reverting back to brown.

_What? _Anti watched as the girl pulled away with a huge smile on her face. "It was awesome to meet you both! Oh and feel better soon Mark!"

Google and Anti both waved before turning and heading towards the staircase, their smiles simultaneously falling from their faces. They managed to make it back upstairs fairly quick, although Google stumbled a bit on the first few steps. Once they were back on their floor, Anti peered into the hall. After he had made sure that the cameras were still glitched out and that no one else was in the hall, he relaxed, letting his skin return to a light green tint as his glitches resumed.

"Fuck Jack! Fuck Mark! Fuck their niceness!" He groaned, turning to look at Google, who was no longer glitching, although his eyes were flashing various colors. "What's up with you? You're not glitching but your eyes are freaking out."

Google furrowed his brow, looking concerned. "I forced my body to reroute power from various other functions to help keep myself from glitching. As I expected, however, my optics have failed."

"What? So you're blind?"

"In simple terms, yes." Google blinked, his eyes no longer flashing various colors. They were, however, a very dull brown.

"Isn't that like really fucking bad?"

Google shrugged. "I can go off of sound and make a mental map of the area around me based off of echolocation. It will be disorienting when I'm in new surroundings, but I can manage."

Anti shrugged. "Well, your voice is back to normal, so it's an improvement. I'm sure you can handle being blind for a little bit until that doctor you have can fix you up."

"Unfortunately, Bing will have to assist with my repairs, for Dr. Iplier knows nothing about circuits." Google sighed. "Again, I'm sure Wilford won't listen to you."

"Bullshit, besides, you're blind now. That's gotta get like some sympathy points." Anti walked down the hall, to Jameson and Wilford's room, and knocked on the door.

It swung open as Wilford leaned out, grinning wildly. "Good morning Anti! And Googs-" His eyes widened. "Whoa! Someone did a number on you!"

Google crossed his arms. "A certain glitch seems to also have no boundaries when it comes to my function."

Anti groaned. "It wasn't my fault! You're a robot, you should've been able to catch yourself."

"I did catch myself, but that's not the point-"

"Whatever." Anti peered into the hotel room. "Where's Jamie?"

"I don't know. Old chap left the room a while ago."

Anti narrowed his eyes. "Whatever Colonel Crazy." He roughly shoved Wilford aside so that he could walk into the room. "Jamie!"

Wilford stared at the ground for a few moments before he turned and shifted his gaze to Anti, still smiling, although it looked more unsettling.

Anti narrowed his eyes. "What?"

Wilford immediately took out a pistol and aimed it at Anti's forehead.

"Hey!" Anti glitched in alarm, taking a step back. "What the fuck?!"

Wilford laughed as he walked further into the room. "You really think you can do whatever you want, just because you're all Mr. Famous now."

Google beeped as he quickly headed into the room. He knew when Wilford was getting into an episode, just by his voice alone he could tell something was up.

"All I did was shove you! You're lucky I didn't stab you instead!" Anti glanced at Google, thinking that's what Wilford was talking about. "Look, that wasn't my fault, it was-"

Google's eyes widened. "Don't finish that sentence."

Anti turned to look at Google. "What? I was just going to say it was an accident."

Wilford shot the gun.

Anti glitched out of the way of the bullet before it could hit him, but that didn't stop it from hitting the wall behind him. He stared at Wilford, growling. "What is wrong with you?! That almost hit me!"

Google frowned, still unable to see anything as he tilted his head towards Anti's voice. "People will have heard that and notified the front desk, and 911."

Wilford was shaking, and laughing. "You're right! An accident! A joke, right? You wouldn't mean to hurt them. They wouldn't deserve something so cruel."

"Who is they? I thought we were talking about Google!" Anti looked around the room, seeing no sign of Jameson anywhere. "Where the fuck is Jamie?"

Wilford doubled over as he laughed.

Anti glitched in front of Wilford, knife in hand. "I swear, if you fucking did something to him-"

Google walked forward and placed a hand on Anti's chest. "Back up."

Anti growled. "Excuse me-"

"I will not ask again." Google continued staring ahead, looking determined.

Anti almost felt like using the 'Okay Google' function, but then he looked back at Wilford.

And he noticed the tears on his face.

Wilford didn't seem to be looking at anything as his eyes glazed over. He was still smiling, but the laughing had died down. "Just a joke."

Google fully stepped in front of Anti, and Anti went a few feet back to give him more room.

"Wilford." Google spoke calmly.

Wilford looked up at him.

Google reached into his pocket, and pulled something out, holding it up to Wilford in his palm.

It was a small, plastic container of bubble soap.

Wilford wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, his grin widening. "Splendid! Thank you Google, old buddy!" He unscrewed the cap and took the wand out, blowing bubbles.

Anti turned to look at Google. "Bubbles?"

Google turned his head towards Anti's voice. "Yes, it's a source of comfort for him."

"God he's insane."

"Don't try to antagonize him again."

Anti laughed. "I didn't antagonize him-"

"You shoved him. You also called him a name you shouldn't have."

"Colonel Crazy? That's not an excuse for him to flip the fuck out!"

"Never say that to him again, and don't try to start a fight with him."

Anti rolled his eyes. "Whatever, robot."

"I mean it."

Anti looked at Google, who was glaring hard, despite not being able to see.

The glitch shifted in his stance, not used to feeling intimidated by the android.

Thankfully, they heard the rapid steps of a certain gentlemen running down the hall, drawing both of their attention. Google and Anti walked out into the hall, Wilford following as he blew bubbles.

"Jamie!" Anti decided to ignore the episode for now. "Where have you been?"

Jameson mimed putting a coin into an invisible slot, pressing some buttons, and reaching into a hatch for something.

"Vending machine? The breakfast here starts in like an hour!"

"We won't be able to stick around for it because of the fact that other guests heard the gunshot. We need to leave, _again._" Google's voice displayed all of his annoyance.

Anti turned to look at Wilford, who was blowing bubbles ignorantly. "If only _someone_ could teleport us all back to our houses."

Wilford stopped blowing bubbles for a moment. "Ah! Perfect!" He clapped his hands, and they were all engulfed in pink smoke.

Once it cleared, they found themselves behind a building, near some dumpsters.

Anti sighed. "Are you being sarcastic, or do you actually think this is where we live?"

Wilford clicked his tongue. "Of course it isn't, this is just the back!" He ran around the building, Jameson right after him. Anti grumbled to himself before tugging Google by the arm and heading after them.

Once they got to the front of the building, he saw the sign.

_Anna's House Of Pancakes._

Wilford and Jameson were already inside, probably getting a table.

Anti groaned. "Any chance this is in California?"

Google narrowed his eyes. "My GPS is also malfunctioning."

"Great." Anti looked at Google's still very broken self, sighing. "Just tell them we're cosplayers. At this point why waste energy hiding it." He helped Google inside the restaurant, bumping into a woman on the way in.

"Watch it." Anti growled. The woman stared at the two, irritating him even more.

"Never heard of cosplay? Get the fuck out of here." He helped Google up the steps to the restaurant and walked in with him, leaving the woman outside to stare.

After watching the four get a table, the woman pulled out a phone, and snapped a picture, sending it to a contact in her phone. Immediately she got a call, and answered it.

"Yes. I can still see them.....They're not going anywhere.....I'll make sure that we have everyone on alert in case they move again..........Yes sir."

She hung up her phone, and walked into her car, parked far away from the front door of the restaurant, but yet still able to see it.

All she had to do now was wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want pancakes.


	12. Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack tries to comfort Marvin, even though there is valid reason to freak out right now.

"Should we take the chance? His have less of a background, not as much detail. We don't know what we're going up against."

"Look, we know exactly where one of them is. The café on Main. He's there from late night into early morning. We don't know where all of the others are, but if we get this one, we'll have answers."

"Fine, but bring all of our tools just in case. How is the American division?"

"Four in sight, but no moves have been made. Three of them are extremely dangerous, so we're waiting for the right opportunity."

"Alright, then let's go."

———————————————————————

Jack glanced down at Chase's prescription, making a mental note of when he would have to remind him to get his next refill.

Another thing to keep track of, along with Jackie's injuries, Marvin's magical mishaps, Schneep's surgical 'accidents', Jameson's Amazon budget (Jack didn't know who taught him how to shop online), and Anti's body count.

"Christ..." Jack sighed, rubbing his temples.

Sometimes, Jack felt like a mom to his egos. Which, he guessed he sort of was? A stressed out mom in his late twenties trying to keep his adult children hidden from the public eye while also having a job that was based around being a public person.

So yeah, a mom of some sort.

Jack knocked on the door to the ego's house. It swung open immediately, Marvin once again grabbing Jack by the shirt and dragging him in.

"Seriously, Marvin, you gotta stop fucking doing that."

Marvin frowned. "Sorry..."

Jack sighed. "It's fine, any sign of the others?"

"No. You've been out for a while. Do you want something to eat?"

Yeah, he couldn't tell Marvin about the video he saw. Not now at least. That was something he needed to tell everyone. Together. Jack nodded, deciding not to elaborate on why he was gone so long. "Yeah, sure, what do you guys have here?"

Marvin tilted his head. "Um... stuff for sandwiches... and like, some chips." He sighed. "Not a ton of options."

"That's fine." Jack smiled. "Maybe I can pick up some groceries for you guys after we make lunch." He held up the prescription. "I'm going to give this to Chase, and then I'll be back."

Marvin nodded. "Alright."

Jack went to Chase's room, knocking on the door. After a few seconds of silence, Jack slowly opened it.

Usually he would be more mindful of people's privacy, but he needed to make sure Chase got his pills.

"Chase? Buddy? You awake?" Jack stepped into the room, seeing Chase curled up under the covers.

"Dude, ya gotta take your medication." Jack gently shook Chase's shoulder, eventually getting the ego to sit up. After reading the dosage, Jack handed Chase the correct amount. His eyes widened when he saw Chase dry swallow the pill.

"You uh, don't want anything to wash that down?"

Chase opened his mouth to say something, but Jack cut him off.

"No alcohol."

Chase closed his mouth again.

Jack sighed. "Okay. I'll be in the kitchen." Chase laid back down, covering himself with the blanket again. Jack walked out of the room, staring down the hall. It was oddly quiet. Frowning, Jack went into the kitchen, seeing Marvin levitating bread, turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and mayo in the air.

Laughing, Jack leaned against the kitchen counter. "It seems like it might be easier to make a sandwich the normal way."

"I'm just a little nervous, so I'm trying to use as much of my extra energy as I can. That way I don't-"

Some of the tomato slices floating around skyrocketed towards the walls, splattering. Both Jack and Marvin jumped in alarm.

Marvin sighed. "-cause an accident."

Jack raised an eyebrow, looking at the tomatoes. "Your magic was fine earlier today, what happened?"

Marvin finished making the sandwiches, without tomatoes, and placed them on two plates, sliding one towards Jack. "I was able to keep it together for a bit, but Schneep left for work, so it was just me and Chase. And Chase isn't exactly in a talky mood right now, so I haven't had anyone to talk to, and then I just get stuck thinking about what's going on-"

The plates started to levitate, and Marvin sighed.

Jack frowned. Marvin always tried hard to remain calm to keep his powers in check, but it usually just needed up stressing him out. Most of Marvin's magical outbursts were minor, but there had been a few instances where some of the egos had gotten hurt.

If he wanted to avoid anything like that happening, Jack needed to help alleviate Marvin's stress. "Hey, I'm here now, and it's going to be okay. Let's just relax and eat for now, and then we can watch a movie, maybe work on a plan. Jackie's probably sleeping right now, but we can wake him up in a bit and ask if he wants to join."

Marvin shook his head. "Jackie isn't here."

"Wait, Jackie hasn't come back yet?" Jack frowned. "Have you tried calling him?"

Marvin nodded. "Yeah, but he didn't pick up, it just went to voicemail. He said he was going to look for Anti and Jameson anyway-"

"Shit." Jack scratched his beard. "Did you ask Schneep to check at the café on his way to work? Jackie keeps watch up there." Jack scratched at his beard, worry clear in his face.

"No." Marvin took off his mask, knitting his brows in concern. "Jack, are you not telling me something?"

Jack sighed. Looks like Marvin was going to be the first to know. "I got pulled away to talk to some people at the police station. They had video footage of Anti, Jameson, Wilford Warfstache, and Googleplier. Anti and Wilford murdered people in the video."

Marvin's eyes widened, and the plates on the table flew up into the ceiling and cracked. Jack and Marvin both covered their faces as shards of the plates and pieces of food fell.

"I'm sorry!" Marvin brought his mask over his face and then placed his hands over the eyes of his mask, but Jack could still see the green light seeping through the cracks of his fingers. "I didn't mean to do that!"

Jack stared up at the mayo dripping from the ceiling. "I would hope so." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to call Schneep and tell him to leave work early, then I'll look for Jackie. You need to stay here with Chase. _And _keep your powers under control. People are getting close to finding out who you all are."

Marvin moved his hands away from his mask and began fidgeting with his cape. He was getting more nervous, and a green glow was emitting from his eyes, sending bright light through the holes of the mask.

_He made it worse. _Frowning, Jack placed his hand on Marvin's shoulder. "Calm down, I'll wait until Schneep gets here before I leave to find Jackie, okay? I won't leave you and Chase by yourselves."

Marvin tugged on his cape, rubbing the material between his fingers. The glow in his eyes had softened, but it was still there. "No, you should go. I don't want anything to happen to Jackie."

"Nothing is going to happen to him, or to any of you. I'll make sure you all stay safe."

"You promise?"

Nodding, Jack looked Marvin directly in the eyes, watching as the glow completely faded. "I promise."

——————————————————————————-

_Before...._

Jackie crouched on the edge of the rooftop, scanning the city from above. There were less people out and about, the murders that took place in the park had scared the locals. Now, when it was dark, most of them stayed cooped up in their homes. Sure, a few people were wandering around and checking out shops, but the amount of people out on the streets had dropped significantly.

That didn't make the hero's job any easier, though. Less people meant less witnesses. It was practically an invitation for the few criminals around to try and mug people walking home on their own.

Thankfully, Jackie wasn't planning on heading home early. He had just gotten a call from the others that Anti _and _Jameson were missing. It was morning, but definitely still dark enough outside to conceal himself. He could spend a couple extra hours searching for his fellow egos, _and _he could stop a few criminals on the way.

He kept watching the streets below. Very few people walked by. It was the ass-crack of dawn after all, Jackie didn't expect anything huge to happen.

Just when he thought about grabbing a coffee from the café below himself, he saw it.

A woman and man were both walking down the street, the woman clutching her purse tightly. The man had his hand on her lower back-

_No, it wasn't his hand._ Jackie squinted his eyes, noticing how the man was holding an object and pressing it into the woman's back.

_A gun._

The man nudged the woman, making her turn down the alley between the café that Jackie was perched on top of and the currently-closed bookstore right next to it. It was dark, and the café didn't have windows on the sides of the building anyways.

The perfect blind spot.

Jackie wasted no time as he jumped down from the rooftop, hitting his feet against the wall of the bookstore, and then bouncing off and landing on the ground in a crouch.

The man and woman turned to face him.

Jackie stood, tilting his head as he stared at the man. "Am I wrong to assume that you're _not _a couple?"

The man pointed his gun at Jackie. "Get out, you didn't see anything."

"Okay, but I did. And I'm currently seeing it, so I kind of have to do something to stop it." Jackie smiled. "No hard feelings, right?"

The man lunged forward, almost punching Jackie. The superhero dodged the fist and grabbed the man by the arm, flipping him over his head. The man landed on his back, groaning.

_That was quick. _Jackie narrowed his eyes. _Why didn't he shoot his gun?_

It was weird, but Jackie's first priority was to make sure that the woman was okay. He could worry about the man after.

"Alright ma'am, you're safe now- _Ah!"_ The ego felt a sharp pain in his neck.

Jackie spun around, seeing the woman holding a needle in her hands, her expression cold.

"What... what did.." He couldn't get the words out, his mouth was numb.

_Drugged_.

He was drugged.

He needed to call someone. Jackie stumbled away from the woman, pulling out his phone.

_Phones? _He was seeing two of everything now. He stared at his contact list, trying to remain standing.

Something grabbed him by the hood, yanking him backwards. The phone fell out of his hands and hit the concrete, shattering.

"N...no...." Jackie fell against whoever had yanked him backwards.

The person holding him spoke. "Damn it, you couldn't have pulled that out any earlier? My spine..."

So it was the man that was holding him. His voice was strained, like he was in pain. Sounds like Jackie got a good hit. He laughed through the drowsiness of the drug.

The woman walked into Jackie's view, staring over his head, probably talking to the man.

"I had to make sure he had his guard down. Besides, you're fine. Your healthcare is paid for." The woman tilted her head slightly, grabbing Jackie by the chin and looking into his eyes.

"Their faces are identical. It's amazing. Hopefully the others here are easy to find, then we can see if they really are the same across the board."

The man snorted. "We've got it easy. Only three to grab, not including the YouTuber himself. The Americans however, have their work cut out for them."

The woman let go of Jackie's face, and his head titled downward, darkness tinging his vision. Everything around him began to sound distant, and hard to understand. It wouldn't be long until he was out completely.

The woman spoke up again, her voice fading. "I wonder what we'll be able to get out of this one..."

Then, Jackie was out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah dang. Maybe he's okay.


	13. Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark finally gets to the Ipliers.

Maybe Mark _should have_ taken medicine before he left.

After driving for nearly an hour (thanks LA traffic) Mark had gone from feeling under the weather to feeling like utter shit. He just wanted to curl up on the couch, maybe snuggle Chica, and sleep.

But of course, the egos just _had _to go to Brighton and murder a bunch of people, _and _get caught on camera.

At this point, Mark had already gotten somewhat used to the murder part (although, he still had frequent nightmares about all of the people the egos had killed, and how basically he had been responsible for their deaths by being the creator of the egos), but the getting caught part is what scared him.

For as long as Mark had known the egos, they had been fantastic at covering their tracks. Anytime someone would get close to finding evidence, it would be destroyed. Dark was especially good at finding out when things were getting dangerous for the group, and he would take care of it.

In other words, this shouldn't have happened.

And yet, here they were.

Mark turned his car down a road with lighter traffic. He followed the path that he knew by heart, and eventually arrived at a very expensive-looking suburban area.

It was full of huge houses with big yards. Gorgeous fences separated all of the houses from each other, well, except for the Iplier house.

_Speaking of_... Mark slowed his car to a stop right outside of the gates to the Iplier house.

It was huge, and had very high security.

Tall cement walls surrounded the perimeter of the house and it's yard. Lining the top of the walls was barbed wire. Hidden cameras and motion sensors were also peppered around the perimeter, allowing the egos inside of the house to know if someone was trying to get inside (Mark had found out from some of the egos that there had been a few people who had actually managed to somehow climb the walls and get in, but they never made it out). All in all, very hard to get into. The only opening was the set of gates, and they were completely covered so that you couldn't see into the yard.

It looked really out of place amongst all the other houses that were trying to show off what they had in their yards. But, the house would feel more like a prison if the egos couldn't even go into their yard without the fear that the neighbors would start to question the fifteen-plus identical looking men outside trying to celebrate a birthday party.

Mark honestly felt sad for the egos. If there were only a couple of them, maybe they could have more freedom. But, the fans latched onto every character Mark had created and gave them enough love and support that they seemed to come to life from it (At least, Mark and Jack thought that's how egos were created. They still didn't know for sure). Because of that, there were too many egos for them all to be roaming about at the same time. This led to the ones that were cooped up often getting into fights with each other. Mark once got called by Dr. Iplier to help stop a fight between the Jims and Darkiplier.

_The_ _Jims_ and _Darkiplier_.

Mark didn't know what was more surprising, the fact that The Jims were skilled at fighting, or the fact that Dark was _losing to_ _the Jims._

Either way, it motivated Mark to help them find a bigger house.

The gates were electronically locked and would not open unless someone from the inside gave the okay. Google was usually the one who buzzed people in, but since he was apparently not home, it would probably be Bing.

Mark rolled down his window to stare into something that looked like a drive-thru screen, but fancier. "Bing? It's Mark."

There was a small beeping noise before the gates started to open. Mark rolled his window back up and started to drive. Once he passed the gates, they quickly closed behind him.

Mark followed the driveway up until he arrived in front of the house. For some odd reason, there was only one car parked near the house, Dr. Iplier's, and no sign of the other ones anywhere.

Obviously, not every ego had a car (the Jims with an actual news van sounded terrifying already) but Mark knew that at least a few of them had one.

Suspicious, he parked next to Dr. Iplier's car. Mark then stormed up to the front door of the house, knocking with heavy force.

After a few seconds, the door slowly opened, showing Bing's smiling face. "Suh Mark!"

Mark crossed his arms. "Hi Bing. Anything you want to tell me?"

Bing shrugged. "Well, I totally like found a way to transfer solar energy from my specs to my core. At greater efficiency too!"

Mark's eyes widened. "That's actually really impressive."

"Thanks dude! Yeah it's great, and I've been trying to talk to Google about switching to solar-"

"Speaking of Google," Mark interrupted, "doesn't _he_ usually answer the door?"

Bing shifted. "Ah- Well, Googs is out right now! With Bim!"

"Really?" Mark pointed behind himself. "There's only one car in the parking lot, so I feel like way more egos are gone."

"Nah dude, just some egos going out to their jobs! And they're like smart about it so there is no need to try and go looking for them. Anyway tell Amy I said hi-" Bing moved to close the door.

Mark grabbed the door knob, pushing back. "Bing, Jack called me. I know Wilford and Google are missing."

Bing gasped, pushing his sunglasses to the top of his head. "The Septics told Jack?!"

"Of course they did! They actually trust him and tell him when things go wrong. Which, I wish you guys would do for me." Mark coughed, wiping some sweat from his forehead.

"It's not that we don't trust you dude- well some of us don't- but a lot of us do! It's just, Dark..."

Mark sighed. "I know. Can you let me in at least? I want to know what's going on, and why the others are gone."

"Sure dude." Bing moved to the side, letting Mark into the house. He then beeped. "How sick are you bro? You're heat signature is like higher than normal."

"Probably too sick to be nagging any of you right now." Mark looked around the empty living room. "Where is everyone?"

Bing tilted his head. "Well, Dark assigned a lot of us to different locations. He wanted some people to stay at the house though in case Wilford and Google came back. It's me, King, and Doc."

Mark's eyes widened. "Everyone else is gone?"

"Yep."

Mark put his face in his hands, groaning. "Nooooo..."

"I uh, I know it sounds bad, but Dark was like super strict about where we could go and made people wear stuff they usually don't wear. We're being super careful!"

"I don't know if that's enough." Mark lifted his head up to look at Bing. "Did the Septics tell you about what Google and Wilford did while they were in Brighton?"

"Um, Wilford shot up a bar, but that's normal."

Mark shook his head. "That wasn't all. Jack called me, and apparently Google, Wilford, Anti and Jameson were all recorded on video. And in the video, Anti and Wilford killed a bunch of people."

"Wait really?" Bing frowned. "Who recorded it? I'm sure that I can delete the file myself."

"The Brighton Police."

Bing's eyes widened. "Holy sh*t."

Mark nodded. "Yep, some officers questioned Jack, and someone will probably try to contact me soon. Do you think you can delete any files they might have?"

"Yeah dude! I am the superior android after all. It'll just take a few minutes. Doc and King are in the kitchen if you want to hang with them for a bit." Bing's irises started glowing orange as he emitted a soft whirring sound.

Mark rolled his eyes before walking towards the kitchen, starting to hear King and Dr. Iplier.

"Is he answering?"

"No. He might be working right now though. I can try again later."

Mark stepped into the kitchen, seeing King hugging a jar of peanut butter to his chest while Dr. Iplier looked at texts on his phone. Both of the egos looked up at Mark, eyes wide.

Mark crossed his arms, glaring at them both. "I already know about Wilford and Google. And I suggest that you call the others and get them to come back."

King glanced down at his jar sheepishly. "Hi Mark."

Mark sighed. "Hi King. Doctor, can you please call the others and tell them to come back?"

Dr. Iplier shifted. "We're trying to do all we can to find them. The more of us that are looking, the better chances we have."

"No, absolutely not." Mark coughed. "Google and Wilford were recorded on a video with Anti and Jameson murdering a bunch of people, and that footage is with the police. I can't have all of you out and about when there are probably people looking for me to try and see what the fuck happened. What if they pull one of you in for questioning?"

King fidgeted. "Are you... going to jail?"

_He hadn't really thought that far ahead yet. _Mark stiffened, glancing between King and Dr. Iplier, who both looked concerned.

"I... I don't think so? I mean, I'm obviously not in Brighton, and Jack and I both have alibis. Besides, Bing is going to try and delete the footage and whatever files that the police have."

Dr. Iplier frowned. "Wouldn't Google have done that already if he could?"

Mark shrugged. "I don't know, maybe he tried to and got interrupted? I mean, Anti is with them, so there's a chance that he and Google got into it and somehow Google became too glitchy to function."

Dr. Iplier nodded. "They really wouldn't seem to get along, I mean one is a virus, the other is an android."

Coughing, Mark nodded.

King shifted. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little sick. It's nothing serious." Mark coughed again, this one sounding worse.

Dr. Iplier shook his head. "Why don't you lie down for a bit. I can call Dark and tell him what you told us."

Mark narrowed his eyes. "Shit goes wrong when I fall asleep."

"I'll wake you up if shit gets too out of hand! But seriously, go lie down. We've got a bunch of spare rooms, just pick one and I'll find you and bring you some medicine later."

Although he wanted to fight it, Mark knew he would probably want the rest in case things got worse later. "Okay, alright. Tell the others to come back soon though."

"Relax, you're like a mom."

Mark groaned. "Shit, I am." He turned around. "Momma is going to sleep for once!"

Dr. Iplier smiled as King chuckled. Once Mark was gone, Dr. Iplier pulled out his phone and called Dark. King, bored, slathered some peanut butter on his face and walked out of the kitchen, ready to head outside and play with the squirrels.

He passed by Bing, who was searching through numerous holographic images, frowning.

"Hi Bing! What are you doing?"

Bing turned to look at King. "Oh, hey dude, just um, looking for something."

"What are you looking for?"

"A video." Bing sighed. "But I haven't been able to find it."

"Oh." King shrugged. "I'm sure you'll find it soon!"

Bing gave a small smile. "Thanks dude."

King nodded before heading out the door. Once he was gone, Bing frowned, deciding to search the files again.

Where was it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of hard to fine something when somebody else moved it.


	14. Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilford and Jameson flirt with some dames! Meanwhile, Anti and Google have a chat.

The waitress tilted her head, staring at the men before her in confusion. "Are you... going to a convention, or something?"

In the booth, Google and Anti were sitting on one side, and Wilford and Jameson on the other. Google tilted his head up to face the woman, although his eyes were still unable to detect her presence. "Something like that."

The waitress nodded. "Alright, they're um, very realistic. I don't even know how you managed to make the gashes look so deep."

Anti rolled his eyes. "They're not... that deep."

"Oh but they are! If he had chosen to use blood instead of having wires poking out, I would've called an ambulance!"

Jameson glared across the table at Anti, who crossed his arms, leaning back. "They're not... deep..."

The waitress hummed. "So, four black coffees, a stack of pancakes with chocolate chips, whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate syrup, and another stack with plain syrup, strawberries, and blueberries." She glanced at Anti and Google. "Are you both okay with just the coffees?"

"Yes." Anti and Google spoke in unison before looking at each other uncomfortably.

The waitress nodded. "Alright. Oh! I can't believe I didn't see the blood on your neck. It looks so real!." She walked away.

Anti furrowed his brow. "Blood?" He touched his fingers to his neck and pulled them away, snarling at the tiniest bit of red coating them. It must have started only a few moments ago. "Fucking hell Marvin. Your magic is shit."

Wilford shrugged. "It's fine, red suits you!"

Anti narrowed his eyes. "Do you even understand what the hell is going on?"

Wilford pointed across the room, near the entrance. "That lady has pink hair! Fabulous!"

Google turned to Anti. "If I were you I would stop trying to explain things to him. You'll save time."

"Fuck all of this." Anti scratched at his neck. "Wilford, where are we?"

Wilford hummed to himself. "A pancake place, Anti."

"I know that, but _where?!"_

Google straightened. "Geographically, Wilford. I am unable to tell with my inability to connect to satellite."

"Oh!" Wilford beamed. "Nevada, a state in good old America, my European friends! I was hoping we could go and see the aliens at Area 51 afterwards!"

Jameson raised an eyebrow, looking at Anti.

"Okay!" Anti threw his hands up in exasperation. "I know! I should've stayed home. Stop giving me that 'I told you so' look. I hate it."

There was a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

Which, of course, Wilford had to break.

"Say, there's a couple of gorgeous gals sitting over there. Jameson!" Wilford grabbed Jameson by the shoulder and pulled him up to stand next to him. "Be my wingman!"

Jameson shrugged and followed Wilford towards the women. Anti growled.

"I don't trust that psycho near Jameson."

Google smirked. "You were all about Wilford being 'psycho' when he was shooting up the bar and crashing construction vehicles with you."

"Yeah, well I wasn't about the psycho bullshit anymore when he almost shot _me_." Anti narrowed his eyes as he watched the women laugh at something Wilford had said. "I mean, I knew he was nuts, but, does he really not care what happens to anyone else."

"That's odd coming from you."

Anti turned to look at Google. "I scare the shit out of the septics, yes, but I don't try to actually kill them. They can survive a couple of stabs, just as long as I don't hit the important places."

Google stared ahead. "Wilford does not really wish death upon the others. He's delusional. He does not think that anyone really dies, and therefore he will not try to limit himself."

Anti winced. "Yikes. How do you all handle that?"

"Mark has created numerous murderous personalities, Wilford is just the most unstable. We can handle it. There's only been a few incidents."

"Incidents?"

Google nodded. "Wilford has hurt a couple of egos. Most of us have suffered some minor injuries from him, but only a few of us have ever been in critical condition."

Anti turned to stare at Wilford, who was already sitting at the same booth as the women, one of them sitting next to him. Across from them, Jameson was performing various random gestures, making the other woman laugh.

"He's a fucking time bomb. How come Dark doesn't have him locked up?"

Google turned his head to glare in Anti's direction. "Wilford is not an animal to cage. He is one of us. And as for Darkiplier, he works everyday to keep everything in order. The reason we've only had a few incidents is because he will always come to diffuse the situation and prevent Wilford from hurting anyone." Google turned his head back.

"I would not expect you to realize that, especially since you terrorize your fellow egos, knowing fully how petrified they are of you. You might be just as likely to kill Jameson as Wilford."

Anti snarled. "Fuck you. I would never kill Jamie, or any of the other egos." He looked at Wilford. "Not even that asshole. Anyway, why do you even care? You're a robot, right? You're just a talking metal maid."

Google whirred loudly. "I want to remind you that I am an android, and you should refer to me as such."

"Fucking Christ, what's the difference?!"

"The difference is that a robot can mean something as simple as a remote control toy. I am far more advanced, and am meant specifically to be human-like." Google was whirring faster now. His frustration was clear.

Anti clenched his fists before sighing. _They__ shouldn't bring more attention to themselves by fighting._

"Sorry, I didn't realize there was actually a difference."

"Didn't realize or didn't care? I've tried to tell you before."

"Okay!" Anti groaned. "I didn't care before. But I didn't realize you actually had feelings."

Google's eyes widened as he stiffened. "I am an android, I do not have emotions."

Anti raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh, sure."

The waitress came over with a pot of coffee and four mugs. As she was pouring the coffee, she looked confused at the fact that half the booth was missing, but then she smiled once she saw Wilford and Jameson with the women.

"Aw, they left you both alone?"

Anti shrugged. "If their food comes it's their own fault when I eat it."

The waitress laughed before leaving them to go check on other people. Anti took a sip of his coffee, glancing over at Google. "Do you even drink this stuff?"

"Technically I can. Not for nourishment, however. I added a small chamber inside of myself to store liquids in case I have to keep a human appearance." He brought the mug to his lips and sipped.

Anti smirked. "You're actually pretty good at pretending to be a human, for an android at least."

Google grinned, looking menacing. "I have to do what I can in order to further the secondary objective."

"There we go!" Anti laughed. "That's the murderous android that I've been waiting for. You're less annoying like this."

"Unlike you, I prefer to cover my tracks so as to not get caught."

Shrugging, Anti glanced around the restaurant. "I've never gotten caught, I just happen to have a messy way of doing things."

Google narrowed his eyes, his hand glitching for a sliver of a second before returning to normal. "If you make enough messes you'll get caught eventually. And you've made a pretty big mess."

Anti growled. "We'll be fine. If anyone comes our way, we can deal with it."

"It's not us that I'm concerned with." Google stared down, his sightless gaze calculating.

"Although we have plenty of egos that are capable of handling themselves, there are also others that would not be able to defend themselves if our secret came out." Google shifted. "Back in the hotel, before you decided to be an idiot-"

"Valid, but fuck you."

"-I was attempting to hack into the computer of whoever took that video. I managed to find out from news articles that the police were recording it, so I went into their files. I would have deleted it..."

Anti winced. "Okay I get it, I fucked up. Can't you delete it now?"

Google shook his head. "No, I have to use as little of my functions as possible so as to keep my form from glitching, and my software from corrupting. If I try to do anything such as hacking into a system, I'll be at risk for stalling and shutting down. Besides, at this point someone else has the files."

"What are you talking about?"

Whirring, Google continued. "Practically everything digital is being monitored by government agencies around the globe. The police did have a video file on us, and if I was able to discover it, there is a high chance that other groups were able to find it as well. It's only a matter of time before our creators are questioned. Whoever has this footage is looking for us as well."

Anti's eyes widened, and he scratched his neck. "They wouldn't believe it though, I mean, it sounds crazy to anyone who doesn't already know about us."

Google kept staring down at his coffee. "But it did happen, and someone is going to look into it."

The waitress placed the two plates of pancakes on the table, smiling. She was completely oblivious to the serious conversation being had. "Enjoy!" She left them in an awkward silence.

Wilford and Jameson immediately came over, both of them grinning. "Ah! Delicious!" Wilford plopped down and began to eat."

Jameson sat down as well, but before he started to eat, he noticed the solemn expressions on both Google and Anti. Confused, he tugged on Anti's free arm.

"No it's... we're fine Jamie. Just eat."

Jameson frowned, but ate anyway.

After eating, they paid the waitress. Before she could leave, Anti spoke up.

"Do you possibly have a phone I could borrow?"

The waitress hummed. "Oh just talk to the lady near the front of the place, she can let you borrow an old landline we got hooked up."

"Thanks." After the waitress left, Anti stood. "I'll be right back." He left the others at the booth, walking towards the front of the restaurant, where a hostess was standing.

After a small freak out over the blood on Anti's neck, the hostess accepted the hasty excuse of Anti being in cosplay and directed him to a small office area, where there was a landline. Anti thanked her, and she left him.

Sighing, Anti called the number he knew would be the most helpful.

It ringed for barely second before the person on the other end picked up.

_"Hello?"_

Anti braced himself. "Hey Dark, it's Anti..."

There was some muffled voices on he other end, probably Dark talking to someone. _"Where are you right now?"_

"Wow, straight to the point? I would have expected you to shout at me."

_"Once I'm face-to-face with you it'll be a different story. Again, where are you? Are the others with you as well?"_

"We're at a pancake place, somewhere in Nevada?"

_"Please tell me it's not Vegas."_

"It's not. We're in some smaller scale area. I don't know exactly where."

_"I'll have Bing trace your call. Is anyone hurt?"_

Anti shifted. "Why would you ask that?"

_"I know you and Wilford._ _"_

Anti sighed. "Google may be a bit... damaged."

A loud, ringing sound emitted from the phone, causing Anti to wince. "He's fine!"

_"I would like to speak to Google." _Dark's voice was coming out in multiple layers.

Anti sighed. "He's sitting back at the booth with Jameson and Wilford. I guess Wilford used that 'okay google' function to prevent him from talking with you? I overheard him telling Jamie that. Anyway, he's fine, we're fine. I just, really would like it if you could send someone over to grab us as quick as you can. Wilford isn't going to be kept occupied here for long."

_"I'm surprised that you're making this call, Anti. I would've imagined that you would be wanting to continue this idiotic escapade."_

"Look, I'm all for doing destructive shit, but we fucked up. Really bad. Apparently there was a video recording of us murdering these thugs, and Google had found it amongst some files that were in the Brighton police's computer system."

_"If Google found them then there is nothing to worry about."_

"That's the thing. I may have... interrupted Google while he was trying to delete the files, and that may have resulted in him getting hurt-"

The ringing, which had previously been dying out, came back louder and more painful than before.

"-and so he wasn't able to remove the files."

Dark mumbled on the other end for a few moments before speaking up clearly. _"You really, truly, have fucked up."_

"Yeah, I know."

_"Stay where you are, Bim Trimmer will be there within an hour."_

"Okay, thanks."

_"You do realize that it's going to take a lot of work to make this all go away, right?"_

Anti bit his lip, thinking about the other egos back in Brighton. "Yeah, but we have to make it go away. If this gets any bigger..." Anti trailed off.

There was silence on both ends before Dark spoke up.

_"You're taking things seriously for once, so I trust that you'll help keep yourself and the others from getting into more trouble. We can figure out how to go about this once you're all back."_

Anti sighed. "Thanks. We'll be here.."

Dark hung up, and Anti placed the phone back on the receiver. As he walked out of the little office, all Anti could think of were the septics.

They could handle themselves.

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anti has somewhat of a heart.


	15. Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jims look for Bigfoot!

Reporter Jim scooted on his knees through the grass, looking up at the trees surrounding both him and his brother, who was crawling after him with the camera.

They had both previously been sitting in a truck with Ed Edgar, looking for the other egos. After Dark had called everyone and told them that Bim Trimmer was already on the way to pick them up, however, the Jims managed to convince Ed to stop at a rest stop near a large expanse of woods.

"I'm grabbing some food, y'all can go do your show or whatever for a little bit. But when I say it's time to leave, it's time to leave."

The Jims both nodded. "We're going to find bigfooters," Reporter Jim said, a serious expression on his face.

"Alright. Then do whatever." Ed waved a hand dismissively as he walked into the rest stop to raid the vending machines.

And so, the Jims had been roaming the woods for the past ten minutes, looking for Bigfoot.

"And here! Is the mysterious ladybug." Reporter Jim stopped to stare at a ladybug that was chilling on a blade of grass. Cameraman Jim gasped as he focused the camera on the little bug.

"Dear viewers, we have no idea what happened to the gentleman buggies, but now all that is left are the lady buggies. It's only a matter of time before they are all extinct."

Cameraman Jim zoomed the camera in even more on the ladybug, whispering a quiet "whoosh."

The two stared at the ladybug for a few moments before it flew away.

Reporter Jim sighed. "That may be the last ladybug in the world." Several other ladybugs flew behind him, although he didn't notice them.

"Let's go, Jim!"

Cameraman Jim nodded and followed his brother deeper into the woods. They hopped over rocks, crossed a small stream, and stopped at the base of a tree.

"Look, Jim! We can see all the bigfooters from up there!" Reporter Jim began to climb the tree, the idea of catching Bigfoot on camera suddenly giving him even more energy, as if that was possible.

Cameraman Jim tried to climb up as well, but he found that he couldn't really get past the first branch with his camera under his arm. He sighed, sitting down and admiring Jim from below. Surely his brother would be able to see anything interesting up there, and then he would come back down and lead the way over. Cameraman Jim would just have to wait.

Looking for a way to pass the time, Cameraman Jim lied down on his stomach, taking his camera out, and began to record the scenery around himself. Blades of grass blowing in the wind, the sun over the stream, the pair of black shoes standing in front of his face-

Wait.

Cameraman Jim tilted his camera up to see a suited man standing in front of him.

"We found one."

Cameraman Jim frowned, hearing footsteps from behind himself.

Once Reporter Jim was at the top of the tree, he surveyed the area around himself. "There are no bigfooters in sight. They knew we were looking for them. Well, there's always next time Jim-" He froze, noticing that Jim was not anywhere near him. "Jim?"

He climbed back down the tree, looking around frantically. "Jim?!" Jim ran around the tree. "Jim?!" He bolted over back the way they had came, turning his head to scan the area. "Ji-"

His foot snagged on a tree root and he rocketed towards the ground. "Ouchies..." He lifted up his head, blinking as he saw something shiny sticking out of a bush nearby.

Slowly, Jim pulled himself up and crawled over to the bush. He stuck his arms inside of it, feeling around. Once his hands touched a smooth surface, he tensed.

Jim grabbed the object and pulled it out. His heart dropped once he saw what it was.

A camera.

_His brother's camera._

Jim was standing in seconds, his heart beating rapidly.

"Jim!"

———————————————————————————

"Are we there yet?"

Dark tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "No, not yet."

Yandere groaned, turning to look out the window. "Why did I have to come? I'm missing school. And I just got Senpai switched into my class with me!"

"The Host doubted that being put in a class with Yandere would make Senpai fear him any less."

"He's not afraid of me! He doesn't even know that I killed McKenzie." He crosses his arms. "Stupid bitch."

Dark cracked his neck, his aura flaring just a little bit before getting back under control.

"The Host asked if Dark would mind letting him drive."

"What?" Dark turned his head to look at The Host. "No. Why would you even ask?"

The Host shrugged. "The Host wanted to try it before they were all captured by the government."

"We are not going to get captured by anyone. Bim is on his way to pick up the others, and I already called everyone else and told them to head back to the house."

Yandere shifted in his seat. "So I missed school for nothing?"

Sighing, Dark opened his mouth to respond, only to realize he was getting a call. He looked at the contact, seeing it was Ed Edgar.

"Ed?"

_"Oh uh... hey Dark. We um, got a problem."_

Dark sighed. "What did the Jims do?"

_"Just get over here. I'm sending my location."_

Ed hung up.

Dark tensed. None of the egos would ever dare to hang up on him so abruptly. The phone dinged, and Dark was staring at an address.

He immediately took an exit on the highway, confusing the other passengers in the car.

"Dark? Did you forget where we live?"

Dark said nothing, his aura flaring blue.

"The Host told Yandere to shut up, as Dark was obviously concerned about something."

Dark still said nothing, driving in silence.

After about twenty minutes, they had pulled into the rest stop. Dark exited the car, forcing his aura down so as to not draw too much attention to himself.

He spotted Ed leaning against his truck, looking deep in thought. Dark immediately made his way over. "Edgar."

Ed snapped his head up to look at Dark. "Finally."

"Where are the Jims?"

Ed shifted before opening the passenger side door. When Dark was able to see inside, he couldn't help the small flare of blue that managed to escape his control for just a moment.

One of the Jims was sitting in the seat, hugging a camera to his chest. He was trembling.

Dark watched for a moment before taking a step closer. "Jim?"

Jim turned to look at Dark, tears spilling down his face. Unsurprisingly, Dark was observant enough to tell that it was Reporter Jim he was talking to. There were very small differences between the Jims, but Dark was always able to tell.

Still, that did little to ease the fact that Reporter Jim was holding his brother's camera, while the other was nowhere in sight.

"Where is Jim?"

Jim hugged the camera to his chest even tighter. "The bigfooters got him."

Dark sighed. "What?"

"I climbed the tree to do a looksie for bigfooters, but Jim didn't follow me up. When I came back down, he wasn't there." He sniffled. "There weren't any footerprints though."

Dark tensed, turning to look at Ed. "How could you let this happen?"

"What?! I let them go do their damn show. They wander all the time. They always make it back."

Dark looked at Jim, the red of his aura breaking through his control this time.

"They're targeting us."

Ed frowned. "What?"

Dark growled. "It's too late now. They know we exist, and they're going to hunt us down. One by one." He glared at Ed. "Start driving back to the house, don't stop anywhere else. I'm going to check in with the others."

Nodding, Ed closed the passenger door and made his way back to the driver's seat. Dark watched as the truck left before he stormed his way back to his own car.

Once he was inside, he immediately messaged the other egos, demanding an update every five minutes.

Yandere cleared his throat. "Um, Dark? What was that all about?"

Dark let his aura finally break loose, and it danced wildly around his form.

"Cameraman Jim got taken."

"The Host did not think this was the time to say he told you so but-"

"Host, now is definitely not the time." Dark started the car and put them back on the highway.

Yandere shifted. "What are we going to do?"

Dark cracked his neck, a ringing sound slowly filling the car. "We're going home, and then I'm going to find out who took Jim."

"Then what?"

The ringing was unbearable now, and both Yandere and Host had to cover their ears.

"They're going to wish they hadn't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Bigfoot escaped yet again.


	16. Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Schneeplestein gets ready to perform a surgery. Marvin and Chase struggle over choosing a movie to watch. Oh, and Jack realizes they may not be safe at the Septic's house anymore.

Dr. Schneeplestein glanced down at his phone again, sighing when he saw a text from Jack, but nothing from Jackie.

Although the doctor didn't want to admit it, it was worrying him.

Jackieboy was the strongest out of the egos, there was no doubt about that. However, for as strong as he was, he managed to be really stupid sometimes.

Well, maybe the doctor was being harsh. Jackie wasn't necessarily _stupid, _but he had acted impulsively on multiple occasions.

There were a few instances where the superhero had gotten critically injured just because he didn't think a situation all the way through. Granted, in most cases, there wasn't exactly a lot of time to think up a plan of action.

However, despite Jackie's impulsivity, he always managed to come back. Always.

Sure, he hadn't responded to the doctor's texts and calls, which was unusual, but there could have been many reasons for why Jackie wasn't answering. He could've been tracking down some criminals, having a stakeout, running errands...

He could've just lost his phone, _right?_

People do that all the time. It could've easily had happened at any time.

Dr. Schneeplestein looked down at his phone for a few more seconds before sighing and pocketing it.

Maybe the doctor was just being paranoid.

"Doctor?" A woman peered inside the office. "Your next patient is waiting."

"Yes, yes I heard you. Now get out."

The nurse glared at him before calmly leaving. Sighing, Dr. Schneeplestein walked out of his office.

After preparing himself, he finally made it to the operating room.

The man lying on the table was unconscious. He was in need of a kidney transplant.

Dr. Schneeplestein grinned wildly underneath his mask. He enjoyed it a little too much when he got to cut something open.

"I'm here doctor! Sorry I'm late!"

The doctor quirked an eyebrow as he turned to look at the woman he didn't recognize. "Are you in ze right room?"

"This is the kidney transplant, right sir?"

Dr. Schneeplestein frowned. "Nobody told me I would be getting a nurse."

The woman tilted her head. "Isn't it standard procedure?"

Scoffing, the doctor turned back towards the man, picking up a scalpel form his tray of tools. "You must be a newer nurse, correct? Obviously you do not know how we do zhings here."

"Sorry, Doctor."

Dr. Schneeplestein shook his head, still staring down at the man. "Nothing you need to worry about, for now. What is your name, by ze way?" He received no answer. "Miss?"

It was then that Dr. Schneeplestein noticed movement reflecting off of the scalpel in his hand. The nurse was approaching him slowly, a syringe in hand.

Narrowing his eyes, the doctor pretended to busy himself with checking over his other tools. Once the nurse was close enough, Dr. Schneeplestein picked up the tray of tools and spun around, hitting the nurse in the side.

She sprawled to the ground, gasping. One of the tools had stabbed her in the arm, allowing blood to run freely down her skin.

Dr. Schneeplestein picked up his scalpel and slowly approached the woman. "I'm starting to zhink zhat you're not really a nurse."

The woman backed up until she was against the wall. "Don't! Please!"

Laughing, the doctor removed his surgical mask, letting it hang off of one ear. "You were ze one trying to kill me! Or at least trying to inject me with whatever was in zhat syringe." He brandished the scalpel, holding it very threateningly.

"If you ask me, you deserve what's coming to you."

The woman's expression of fear turned into a smile. "Maybe, but at least I'm not alone."

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "What are you going on about?"

There was a sharp pain in the back of the doctor's neck. A needle.

Dr. Schneeplestein spun around and swung the scalpel wildly. It sliced across the stomach of the man who had injected him with the drug, and the doctor immediately recognized him as the 'patient' who he was supposed to operate on.

The man grunted, taking a few steps back from the doctor. "The drug will work momentarily. Jones, stay back."

The woman stood up, cradling her arm.

Dr. Schneeplestein tried to go after the woman again, but he stumbled, his vision starting to go hazy.

"Damn it..." He mumbled, falling to his knees. The scalpel fell from his hands

"I'll get him out of here, grab his phone. If we do this right we can get the others in one go."

"No..." Dr. Schneeplestein groaned, fighting to stay conscious.

He was only able to last a few extra seconds before he blacked out.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  


Marvin took a breath, forcing himself to relax.

However, that wasn't really how it worked, so it was no surprise when he accidentally sent a book across the room in a blur of green magic.

"Damn it." He mumbled, shifting on the couch.

It probably would have been easier to control if there was someone that Marvin could talk to, but Jack was microwaving a bag of popcorn, and Chase still hadn't come down from his room. So, the magician was by himself.

Sighing, Marvin straightened his posture and closed his eyes, mumbling some incantations. He may as well try to use up his extra energy.

A soft green glow filled the room. Marvin's cape started to flow behind him, and the nervous energy inside of him began to dissipate. It was a simple spell, it was only supposed to light up the area around Marvin. However, it was the outlet he needed.

If he kept it up long enough, he could probably tire himself out.

"...Marv?"

Marvin opened his eyes, the light around himself fading away.

Chase was standing in front of him, looking concerned. "Dude, how long have you been working on spells?"

Marvin glanced at the clock on the wall, groaning when he saw it had only been a couple minutes. "Not long enough."

"Alright! Got popcorn and Coke!" Jack said, beaming as he walked into the living room.

Chase smiled. "I came down here at the perfect time." He grabbed a can of Coke and started drinking.

Jack placed the bowl of popcorn in Marvin's lap. "So, what do you guys want to watch?"

Shrugging, Marvin looked to Chase.

"What about Black Panther?"

Marvin scrunched his nose. "We've watched that so many times already."

Chase gasped. "It's a great movie though, bro."

"I know it is! But we watched it _eight times _last week!"

Jack smiled as he watched the two bicker for a bit. It was then that he felt his phone vibrate. He stood up and walked back into the kitchen to take the call.

He glanced at the number, smiling when he saw that it was Dr. Schneeplestein. Jack hit answer and brought the phone up to his face.

"Hey Schneep- er, doctor!"

There was silence on the other end.

Frowning, Jack tried to speak a little louder. "Doctor?"

There were some muffled voices, too quiet to hear.

"Henrik? Henrik are you alright?" Jack didn't usually address the doctor by his first name, but he was getting worried.

The muffled voices stopped again. More silence.

"Who is this?" Dr. Schneeplestein would've answered by now.

There was a small electronic beep on the other end, and the call ended.

Jack tried to call back, but he went straight to voicemail every time.

Something was wrong.

Something was really, really wrong.

He bolted back into the living room, right in the middle of Marvin and Chase's conversation.

"It's not a bad movie! There's just a limit to how many times you can watch something before it starts to get stale."

"You don't even always watch the movie! Sometimes you use your phone during it!"

"I keep the sound off!"

"Guys!" Jack shouted.

Marvin and Chase looked up from the couch.

"We need to leave."

Chase frowned. "Bro? What do you mean?"

"Look I don't know for sure, but someone called me from Schneep's phone. I don't know who it was, but if they have his phone- they might have him."

Marvin gasped, his eyes glowing green. "Is it the police?!"

Chase turned. "What do you mean the police? Jack? What is he talking about."

Jack shook his head. "I can tell you later, Marvin you've used magic to teleport before, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Can you teleport us to LA?"

"What?!" Marvin lifted up his mask, staring at Jack in disbelief. "The furthest I've ever gone is like, ten miles! I haven't worked on that spell long enough to go as far as America!"

"The police won't let me leave the country, so I can't fly us there. If Mark's egos were in that video too, then they must've told him about it, right? If we can get to them, we can all figure out what to do about this."

Chase shook his head. "What the fuck is everyone talking about? What video? And why would we leave?! What about Jackie and Schneep?"

Jack sighed. "Anti, Jameson, Google, and Wilford were all caught on video. Wilford and Anti killed a bunch of people, and the police have the footage. But, if Jackie hasn't come back, and Schneep hasn't either, that might mean that the police already found them."

"Wh-what?" Chase looked terrified. "You're serious?"

"I am, so we need to get out of here. If we get to Mark's, we can get some of their egos to help us. I don't really know all of their powers or anything, but they would help us!"

Chase frowned. "We can't just leave the others! What if they didn't get taken?"

Jack sighed. "They would've answered us by now! Something is wrong here-"

There was a knock at the door.

Everyone tensed. Multiple books flew off the shelves, hitting the wall hard.

"Marvin!" Jack whisper-yelled. The knocking continued, even louder than before.

Jack looked at Marvin and Chase, pointing down the hall. _Go hide._

The egos nodded and hurried into another room. Bracing himself, Jack walked over to the door and opened it.

There were two people. A man and a woman. They were in suits, and looked like secret agents.

"Hi, um, good evening!" Jack forced a smile.

The man cleared his throat. "Mr. McLoughlin, I won't waste time trying to deceive you. We're here because of the footage that was taken in the park."

Jack frowned. "Are you with the police?"

The woman spoke up. "We have a bit more jurisdiction than they do. We do need to speak to you, however. About the... egos? That's what you call them, correct?"

Jack's eyes widened. He tried to slam the door shut, but the man forced it back open. The agents moved inside, forcing Jack to move further into the house.

"I have no idea what you're talking about! The egos are just characters I made on YouTube!"

The woman shut the door. "We all know that's a lie. We've already met two of them, the hero and the doctor."

Jack paled. _So they did have them_. "I don't know what you're talking about-"

The man sighed. "I admire your determination, but there really is no need." He reached into his suit jacket, and pulled out a gun.

Jack froze.

The man smiled. "I won't use this as long as you cooperate."

Jack stared at the gun, unable to speak.

Then, the room filled with a soft, green glow.  
The TV broke, and shards of glass flew through the air, hitting the walls. Books flew around, one of them smacking the gun out of the man's hand.

There was another flash of light, and Marvin appeared in the room, green light practically pouring out of the holes of his mask. Chase was right behind him, hanging onto Marvin's right arm.

Marvin pointed a finger at the two agents, and they started floating in the air, panicked.

Marvin then made a flicking motion with his finger, sending the agents through a window. Dark green smoke enveloped Marvin, Chase, and Jack, as the sound of wind drowned every other sound.

When the smoke finally cleared, and the sound finally ceased, Jack was able to see clearly. Chase was to his right, holding Jack's hand, eyes wide.

They were standing in a living room. Robin's living room at that.

Marvin was still standing defensively in front of Jack and Chase, trembling.

Chase shifted. "Marv?"

Marvin coughed and fell to the ground, shaking.

"Marvin!" Jack and Chase knelt before him. He looked horrifyingly pale. Chase moved the mask out of the way, gasping when he saw Marvin's eyes.

His irises were now a dull green instead of the normal blue.

"Jack?!"

Jack looked up, seeing Robin holding a mug of coffee.

Which, he immediately dropped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One by one.


	17. Seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bim picks up the egos, and it seems like things are starting to look up... it seems that way, at least.

"Maybe... Jim just got lost?"

Bim turned his head to look at the Silver Shepard briefly before focusing on the road again. "I don't think so... if one of the Jims gets lost, his brother is right there with him."

Shepard shifted in his seat. "Right... Oh, I think that's where we're supposed to pick them up." He pointed at a small pancake place coming up on their right.

Nodding, Bim pulled his van into the parking lot, fortunately finding a spot relatively close to the entrance. "Wait here."

"Okay, but if you're not back in five I'm running in to save you!"

"Uh huh, sure." Bim exited the car and walked into the restaurant.

He didn't have to look long to notice Anti, Google, Jameson and Wilford all sitting in a booth. Bim walked over, frowning when he saw the state Google was in.

Bim adjusted his tie, slightly more scared of Anti than he already was coming in. He tried to talk Dark out of making him pick the egos up, but Bim _was_ the closest. It made the most logical sense for him to go.

At the same time, Bim didn't have any powers of his own. Sure, he knew how to deal with Wilford, and Google usually didn't pose as a problem, but Anti was a chaotic entity that took joy in terrorizing others. Shepard _was_ in the car if something went wrong... although he didn't necessarily have powers...

Well, best to get it over with. Bim walked over to the booth, clearing his throat. Anti looked up, his eyes glitching to pitch black briefly.

Bim paled, but quickly put on a brave face. "Hey!"

Wilford beamed. "Bim! Old boy! Great to see you." He narrowed his eyes. "Hey, Dark isn't with you, is he?

"No."

"Oh good! He'd just be upset about the little escapade me and my friends over here have been having."

Bim sighed. "Right. Well, the van is running, so we should get going."

Anti stood. "I call shotgun."

Wilford laughed as he stood as well. "That's what I was going to say!"

Jameson and Google both stood up, the gentleman ego flashing Bim a small smile.

Bim adjusted his glasses. "Alright, well, let's go, then." He lead the group out of the building, heading towards the van.

Bim climbed into the driver's seat, just when Anti swung the front passenger side door open, glaring at Shepard. "You're in my seat."

Shepard opened his mouth to say something, only to decide it was probably better to just drop it. He quickly got out of the car, letting Anti take the seat.

Google sat with Jameson in the very back, while Wilford and Shepard sat in the middle. Bim glanced back at the group to make sure they were all accounted for. Once he had made sure that Wilford hadn't tried to poof away, he started driving.

There was an awkward silence for a couple moments before Wilford groaned and turned on the radio. "None of you know how to strike up a conversation!"

Jameson huffed in the backseat, crossing his arms.

"Oh I don't mean you, old chap! You're probably the greatest conversationalist I've ever met. No words, and yet you always tell the best stories!"

Jameson stopped pouting, giving a small smile.

Anti glanced towards Bim. "How long until we get to your place?"

Bim sighed. "Almost ten hours. And we'll have to stop for gas at least once. I don't have enough in the tank to get us all the way back."

"Wonderful." Anti spat, looking back out the window. Bim didn't mind, he was just glad that he hadn't been stabbed yet.

Wilford flexed his fingers. "I could make the trip real quick for us!"

Bim turned his head. "Wilford, no."

"But why not!"

Anti groaned. "Last time we told you to take us home you took us to fucking Nevada."

Wilford twirled his mustache. "Well I was hungry! And it's no good to be teleporting on an empty stomach!"

"But you teleported anyway-"

"Ooh! Look at that van! It's pink!" Wilford pressed his nose against the glass, eyes wide with wonder.

Anti rolled his eyes and went back to looking out the window.

Bim sighed.

It was going to be a long, long trip back home.

————————————————————

Dr. Iplier once again tried to call Dr. Schneeplestein, sighing when it went to voicemail. He had been trying to contact him for almost an hour now, mostly to tell the other that they had found Jameson and Anti, but also just to make sure that nothing had happened to the Septics.

After he was once again sent to voicemail, Dr. Iplier hung up. He shot Dr. Schneeplestein a text, telling him to call as soon as he was able to.

_He's fine. Just stay calm. _Dr. Iplier pocketed his phone, forcing his worries down.

The doctor then walked into the kitchen, only to frown when he saw Mark pouring some freshly brewed coffee into a thermos.

"Shouldn't you be resting?"

Mark shrugged. "I've been worse. I think I really just needed a nap."

Dr. Iplier walked forward and placed the back of his hand on Mark's forehead. "You probably need more than a nap..."

"Well it's going to have to wait. My phone rang and woke me up. Amy wanted me back at the house for something."

"Something?"

"She wouldn't say over the phone what it was. Which is why I want to get back there now." Mark placed the empty coffee pot back and closed the lid on his thermos. "I'm going to make sure she's alright. Keep me updated about what's happening here."

Dr. Iplier sighed. There was no reason to try and get Mark to stay, especially since this concerned Amy. "Okay."

Mark smiled before rushing out of the kitchen. Dr. Iplier started readying another pot of coffee.

As coffee started to slowly drip into the pot, King walked in.

"Doc do we have anymore peanut butter?"

"What? I just got a whole other jar."

King shrugged. "I couldn't find any."

Dr. Iplier ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe Bing knows if we have more somewhere else. I mean, the androids keep stock of everything." He walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, seeing Bing staring out the window.

"Hey Bing, do you know if we have anymore peanut butter for King? I could've sworn we had some."

Bing said nothing, still staring in the other direction.

His body glitched.

Dr. Iplier groaned. "Damn it, I hate it when this happens." He walked towards Bing.

The androids would glitch randomly due to viruses, faulty updates, buffering, etc.. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence. It was still annoying to try and fix them though.

Dr. Iplier placed a hand on Bing's shoulder, noticing a holographic window in front of the android.

There were hundreds of photos going by quickly. Text paragraphs accompanied each photo, but they moved too fast for the doctor to read.

But he could see the images of the egos clear as day.

"What-?" Dr. Iplier started to say, only to be cut off by a strong hand grabbing him by the throat.

Bing had turned his head. His sunglasses were resting on top of his head, allowing the doctor to see the bright, glowing red eyes.

He looked so cold, it was unnatural.

_"Subject Dr. Iplier. Found. Awaiting further instructions."_

Even his voice was emotionless.

Dr. Iplier's eyes widened. He tried to say something, but the android's grip tightened on his throat, cutting off his airways.

_"Orders: Incapacitate and collect." _

It was terrifying.

The doctor tried to get out of Bing's grip, but the android responded by lifting Dr. Iplier off of the ground, holding him only by the neck.

The doctor tried to fight, but it was a futile attempt. He was one of the more human of the egos. And Bing was a freaking android.

His lungs felt like they were on fire. Bing still had no expression.

Rapid thoughts ran through Dr. Iplier's mind as he tried to kick and trash. _What had happened to Bing? Why was this happening?_

Eventually, his fighting slowed, hot tears running down his face.

Then, he stopped moving.

"Doctor!"

Bing dropped the doctor's body to the ground and turned his head, seeing King standing in front of the kitchen door, terrified. 

Slowly, Bing started to walk towards him.

King gasped and ran back into the kitchen. Bing picked up his pace, reaching the kitchen door within seconds.

Once he was inside, he could see King, who was already running out the sliding door and into the yard.

Bing bolted outside and quickly caught up to King, grabbing him by one of his arms.

King shrieked as he was yanked back into Bing's arms. "No!"

Before Bing could do anything, something wrapped around his ankle and pulled him away from King, slamming him into the ground.

Dark stood above him, pure anger in his expression as he stared down at the android. Wisps of his aura were pinning Bing down.

King was practically sobbing now. "The doctor-"

"He is unconscious, but alive." Dark stared down at Bing, deep in thought.

"What are we going to do?"

Dark stayed silent, his aura growing and starting to pulsate violently. "Bim is bringing Google and Wilford back, and then I am going to take care of this."

"But how?"

Dark turned to King, his eyes determined, and unforgiving.

"It doesn't matter how."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bing you alright buddy?


End file.
